The Case vs. Kobe....

[sensei_hanson]

Well this has certainly become a lot more serious that some initially figured it would be.

After the charges were laid, Bryant comes out with a statement in which he admits to "committing the act of adultery", but claims that both parties were willing and the act was between consenting adults.

Now this case is going to get really, really ugly. It becomes a his vs. her word type thing, and now we're going to see a billion articles with the "rich professional athletes aren't used to hearing the word 'no'/ Kobe figures he can have anything he wants" slant to them.

The counterpoints to these will be those slamming the 19-year old girl in question who "probably consented to having sex, only later to feel embarassed/angry/spiteful that she was not much more than a notch in the ol' bedpost, and is now looking to get hers."

This is a big black eye for the NBA, who are currently on par with the NFL for number of jailbirds within the association. Kobe is such a marketable star, one of the few good-guy all-stars the league can hang it's hat upon, and now he's facing rape charges on a girl who's shy of her 20th birthday.

Ugly stuff.

 

[Captain Shamrock]

Kobe Bryant Charged With Sexual Assault
21 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!


By COLLEEN SLEVIN, Associated Press Writer

EAGLE, Colo. - Kobe Bryant (news) was charged Friday with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in a case bound to tarnish the career of one of the NBA's biggest superstars.


AP Photo


AP Photo
Slideshow: NBA Star Kobe Bryant




The 24-year-old Bryant faces four years to life in prison if convicted on the single felony count, Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert told reporters during a news conference. He said Bryant used "physical force" and caused "sexual penetration or intrusion."


The Los Angeles Lakers (news) star immediately proclaimed his innocence, but acknowledged that he "made the mistake of adultery" with the woman, who worked the front desk at the resort where Bryant was staying while in Colorado for knee surgery.


"Nothing that happened June 30th was against the will of the woman who now falsely accuses me," Bryant said in a statement.


His wife, Vanessa, also released a statement, saying she stood by her husband. "He is not a criminal," she said.


Hurlbert refused to talk about the details of the case. He said he reviewed all evidence during the last two weeks and consulted prosecutors around the state before making his decision.


"I have an ethical burden not to prosecute a case unless I can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt," he said. "I feel that after reviewing the evidence after looking at the evidence that I can prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt."


Bryant, free on $25,000 bail, must return to court in Eagle on Aug. 6 for a hearing.


The case has riveted the sports world for nearly two weeks because it involves one of the NBA's brightest and most magnetic young stars. The recently married father of a baby girl has also used his wholesome image to land multimillion-dollar endorsement deals.


Documents in the case, including the arrest warrant, have been sealed.


Authorities have said Bryant assaulted the woman June 30 at the gated Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in nearby Edwards. He was in Colorado for knee surgery at a Vail clinic, and was booked at the lodge from June 30 to July 2.


Eagle County sheriff's deputies took Bryant to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs for tests early July 2, later letting him leave in a taxi with his bodyguards.


The woman also underwent tests, and Hurlbert has said he needed information from the state crime lab before making his decision.


Bryant surrendered to authorities July 4 and was released an hour later after posting $25,000 bond. The sheriff refused to release Bryant's booking photo for days.


The arrest was announced July 6, prompting a firestorm of media attention on this small mountain town 100 miles west of Denver. Reporters swamped the cul-de-sac where the woman lives with her parents, but she has said nothing publicly. Her family has consulted an attorney.


The woman is well-known in Eagle as a former high school cheerleader and talented musician who auditioned for "American Idol" last year.


The news stunned basketball fans: Bryant, a five-time All-Star who has already won three titles with the Lakers, is by most accounts a quiet man who prefers dinner with a few friends to joining teammates for a night on the town.





Sports marketing experts say the case will be a permanent blow to Bryant's image, and could cost him millions in lost endorsements.

Bryant entered the NBA in 1996 at age 18, straight out of high school. He has drawn comparisons to the league's all-time greatest players as he has helped Los Angeles win consecutive titles from 2000-02.

Along with his determination, Bryant has also shown class, something many fans feel are missing from other NBA stars. He wept when the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by San Antonio in May, and he wore his hospital ID bracelet in a game the day after his daughter was born.

He married Vanessa Laine in April 2001. The two met on the set of a music video where Laine was working and got engaged while she was still in high school. Vanessa gave birth to their first child, Natalia Diamante Bryant, in January.


Yes, Sensei, it is ugly. But who the fcuk cares about the his reputation and the NBA's image. Let's be honest here. The three people who will be hurt the most will be his wife, daughter, and obviously the girl who was assaulted(allegedly ). I couldn't give a shite if he is/was Mr. Marketable. I know we can't accuse him yet, but he has just fcuked his life up for good, for even being in that position. His wife has just 'inherited' half his fortune, all because of a trip to Buttfcuk, Colorado to get his knee operated on. Just think how many other places he has visited where he has done the same thing. That is what is scary. Once again, too much money and not enough fcuking brains. These ass-clowns will never figure it out. Personally, I hope he gets thrown in jail for awhile. One of these fcukers has to pay the price eventually. Also, the NBA is/has been worse than the NFL for a few years, at least in terms of incidents to amount of players in the leagues. The majority of these guys are arrogant pricks who don't know how to control their pricks or drug habits. Nice one, Stoudamire. Ass-clown.


BTW, Sensei, are you coming to the Nations this weekend? I would like to have a beer with you, shoot some heroin, and then go shag a few sluts in the beer garden. Cheers.


Captain

 

[sensei_hanson]

I wasn't planning on going, but I'm a sucker for a good batch of Black Tar Horse. I'll bring the needles.

We should plan to hit up on some of the Slovakian broads and ensure that a) they're at least 15, b) they can't speak english or c) aren't canadian citizens, all things that will keep them from running their gums to the bloody cops.

If things go really well, we can go out like real professional athletes and try to punch out a female officer, or maybe smuggle our stash down to Bellingham.

You can be Rae Carruth, and ride in the trunk.

Seeya Saturday.

 

[ParkHead]

Maybe the Lakers will not be such a shoe in to win the championship after all. What a donkey. I have to agree with you guys, I do not understand what these guys are thinking. Well clearly they are not thinking. They have so much going on for themselves and they just throw it away over sheer stupidity. If Kobe is guilty I hope they throw the book at him and make an example of him. Might not be fair for him but so what, Maybe it will wake the rest of these doorknobs.


Parkhead

 

[Dapotayto]

Well, it's obvious you two (Captain and Sensei) know very little about professional athletics. See, ain't no way you're getting it up after shooting smack. The order is beer, sluts then crank. Just some helpful advice.

 

[Yoda]

Idiots galore

Vanessa has stated that she "stands by her husband".

More like she stands by her husbands wallet.

"I still love you honey, but can we stop by the Ferrari dealeship on the way home from the news conference?"

 

[SC]

bullshite...

Originally posted by Yoda

More like she stands by her husbands wallet.

Vanessa could, and should stand on her own in this case. I agree with the Cappy on this one. Who knows how many lasses he has bagged. He is only 24

I think the initial excuse here was "knee surgery". I can see a reenactment of Dr. J or any BIG OH MIGHTY overpaid moron. I betcha Vanessa was on a Playboy shoot at the time

+It's funny how much money can cover up things, but on the other hand, it's funny how much money can be made from such scandals

+thishasbeenSC'sdrunkopinion

 

[Fastshow]

bollocks.........

The case has riveted the sports world for nearly two weeks.......

It certainly has.


Absolutely no one has been talking about it. Interesting use of the word 'riveted'. I thought it meant something else.



Sedulously, Fastshow.

 

[Dude]

The one element about this case that has me thinking that it is more than just a one-night stand is that it is at the point now that criminal charges have been laid. I’m sure if it was a case of the blonde trying to get a quick score, they could have bought her off early enough for her to have the criminal charges dropped. But then, who knows.

One thing is for sure- Kobe is fcuked. His wife should be making off with half the fortune right now. It’s not like he’s going to be really marketable, and if he is convicted, that’s likely enough ground for the Laker’s to void his contract.

These guys, especially basketball stars, are identified so young, and in many cases are given everything they can ever want for before they are even old enough to go to college. Girls? No problem. Need a bit of walking around money? Sure. House for Mum? A little Hummer to get to and from school? Here’s a “loan” (wink, wink)…the Hummer will be a gift from your Mum (get your mind out of the gutter KNVB…sick cnut). Jeans? Shoes? Bling? Here you go Mr. Future Superstar. These guys have no concept of reality, get more box than the local recycling depot, can buy anything they want, and in most cases can buy themselves out of most mistakes.

Damn. I wish I were one of them.

 

[sensei_hanson]

Three days since the sentence went down, and they're already dragging the chick through the mud. Spin doctors rule.

ESPN.com news services

The Colorado woman who has accused Kobe Bryant of sexual assault overdosed on pills and was rushed to a hospital two months before the alleged incident with Bryant, one of her close friends told the Orange County Register.

Based on the 19-year-old woman's accusation, Bryant was officially charged with a single count of felony sexual assault Friday. If convicted, he faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, and a fine of up to $750,000. Bryant is scheduled to return to Eagle, Colo., for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 6.

Bryant, 24, said Friday that he was guilty only of committing adultery.

In cases of this nature, the credibility of the accuser -- whose identity is not being revealed -- often becomes an issue. The accuser's friends have been keeping her overdose a secret -- until now, the Register reported.

"I think it was just a cry for help," 18-year-old Lindsey McKinney told the newspaper. McKinney had been living at the accuser's house in May, when the woman allegedly took the pills.

When she learned from the woman's ex-boyfriend that the woman had "overdosed," McKinney rushed to her home and found the woman incoherent, lethargic and seemingly drunk, according to the Register.

"I was scared. She wasn't really talking at all," McKinney told the newspaper. "I was like, 'you need to open your eyes.' "

ESPN has learned that McKinney and the woman had a falling out before the Orange County Register ran its story. ESPN also has learned that the alleged victim and her family have been calling friends and asking them to refrain from commenting on the case.

Some friends of the accuser have told the Register that they believed the overdose was an accident. Not McKinney.

"I don't think it was accidental. I was there," she told the Register.

Bryant's attorneys could not be reached for comment Saturday by the Register.

Tyson Ivie, a former classmate of the accuser's, told the newspaper that the overdose was "a big secret" that friends have been unwilling to talk about until now.

The police dispatch call from the night of the alleged assault is currently sealed from the public by investigators. The woman's father declined comment for the Register's story.

According to the newspaper's report, Bryant's accuser was going through an extremely difficult period in her life at the time of the overdose. She returned home from her freshman year of college to find out her ex-boyfriend had taken up with another woman. Also, around the time of the overdose, close friend Nicole Clements died in a road accident while returning from high school graduation ceremonies.

"It was kind of boom, boom, boom," McKinney told the Register. "I think the things that happened to her in the past had a lot to do with what [she said happened the night of the alleged assault]."

"I know she had been going through a lot, but I know that she wouldn't lie," 19-year-old Eagle resident Ashley Scriver told the newspaper. Scriver also knew about the the overdose.

The Register quoted legal experts as saying the news of the overdose will be a major advantage for Bryant's defense team.

"This is powerful evidence and the answer to the defense's prayers," Robert Pugsley, a criminal law professor at Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, said. Pugsley added that this kind of evidence, if exploited by the defense, could be enough to shut down the case before it reaches trial.

"[Defense attorneys are] looking for a way to demonstrate that this woman is hysterical and over-reactive," Pugsley said. "This is literally dynamite evidence, a bonanza for the defense and a landmine for prosecution."

I was listening to Kevin Wheeler on Sporting News Radio last night and he was speaking of an article he read which detailed the "fixers" (or as they like to be called, personality management agents) who come in and make things right in these situations. One of the things the "fixer" noted with the Bryant case is that he had shaved his goattee and head for his press conference, in a move to make himself look different from when his mug shots were taken. So it doesn't surprise me that media types are going right to ex-friends and classmates in an attempt to dig up the dirt on Kobe's accuser.

 

[Dude]

The Captain should put the odds out there: will Kobe get off (I know...hasn't he already?) ?

Nice friend. Teenage girls can be such cnuts. The media has already discovered that this girl was, apparently, a contestant on "American Idol".

Seriously...as Fasty would say, you couldn't make this shite up.

As for Kobe, maybe the worst consequence of all this is that he's not getting any from his wife, Vanessa, anymore. Have you seen her? Definite candidate for "Dude's Brown Girl" thread. Tre-men-dous hottie. I’d bite off my left pinkie for a night with her.

 

[zenga]

Agreed Dude Kobes wife is smoking!

 

[Yoda]

A little to early

Too bad Kobe admitted to the adultery before that story came out.
He could have denied it and then told Vanessa she was psycho and it was all a lie. Might have got away with it.

That's what i'm going to............I mean, that's what i would do.

 

[ParkHead]

I agree

Vanessa is a hottie!!

 

[Captain Shamrock]

An angry and rich wife too, by the looks of the photo. I don't think she has any nuggets though. She could have borrowed some from the beer gardens on the weekend.

 

[Fastshow]

another Rhodes scholar..........

"I was scared. She wasn't really talking at all," McKinney told the newspaper. "I was like, 'you need to open your eyes.' "

What the prosecuting solicitors want to do is question the credibility of the bird's mates. Then the defence side could question whether or not her mate crashed her car and offed herself intentionally just to wind the poor slag up. After that, the moral fibre of the ex-boyfriend should be seriously examined for having the brass neck to take up with another woman while is ex-girlfriend was away at school. He may even have shagged this new mystery woman too though that has yet to be reported. Outrageous. This netball freak is bound to get off as it seems obvious to me that Lindsey McKinney is a mole planted by the money-men behind the NBA for their new reality television programme to be aired this coming Fall.


It's all Simon Cowell's fault.

 

[trece verde]

wtf?

Fasty:

You're off your medication again....

You're giving too much credit to the American zietgeist - far too many conspiracy theories in one paragraph, and not enough shagging....

It's all Simon Cowell's fault.

Quite.

All I can say it that it's too bad he doesn't have Johnny Cochrane for a lawyer - now THAT would make for yer reality TV.....

staying tooned,

Stew

 

[Keeper]

 

[One Dart]

Shouldn't you make it red Keeper?

 

[Sandman]

$4 million dollar ring!

July 24 — Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant gave his wife Vanessa a $4 million ring a few days after admitting that he committed adultery with a 19-year-old Colorado woman who has accused him of sexually assaulting her, People magazine states in its new editions hitting the newstands this week. THE MAGAZINE SAID the couple, along with their 6-month-old daughter Natalia, purchased the ring from a jewelry boutique in Santa Monica, Calif., two weeks after commissioning it.[/