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Kobe Bryant was a hero to millions, but we should not erase the rape allegations against him


Kobe Bryant’s career was marred by the 2003 rape allegation (Picture: Nick Laham/Getty Images)

On Sunday, the sports and entertainment worlds were shaken by the news that basketball legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash.

Having been trending on Twitter just hours earlier after LeBron James leapfrogged him in the career points rankings, Bryant, 41, was on his way to his basketball academy for a tournament with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed over Calabasas. All nine people on board were killed.

The tragedy has understandably sent shockwaves through the world, with the impact extending further than just devoted Lakers fans. Kobe Bryant was one of the most famous basketball stars there was, and even those with a passing knowledge of the sport will know how important he was in the game.

The tragedy is made even more horrific by the death of his teenage daughter Gianna, who was following in her dad’s footsteps on the court and hoped to join the WNBA. They leave behind Kobe’s wife of 19 years Vanessa and the couple’s three remaining daughters – Natalia, 17, Bianka, three, and baby Capri, who was born just last June.

It is undoubtedly a horrible tragedy. But for many, there is a sense of unease in the outpouring of love and praise for Kobe due to allegations made against him in 2003.

Kobe and Gianna were among the nine people killed in the crash (Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

In 2003, a 19-year-old alleged that on 30 June, she was raped by Bryant at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, Colorado.

The woman alleged that after giving Bryant, then 27, a tour of the hotel, they started consensually kissing, before the basketball star began to ‘choke her’.

In the transcript of a police interview with the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, published by The Daily Beast, the accuser said: ‘When he took off his pants that’s when I started to kinda back up, and try to push his hands off me and that’s when he started to choke me. He wasn’t choking me enough that I couldn’t breathe, just choking me to the point that I was scared.’

She alleged that Bryant began to grope her before bending her over a chair, removing her underwear and raping her.

Bryant initially denied having any sexual contact with the woman, but after he was told physical evidence was found, including semen, he admitted to having had sex with her but claimed it was consensual.

On 18 July, Bryant was formally charged with sexual assault and false imprisonment, and faced life in prison. In a press conference, joined by his wife Vanessa, he said: ‘I didn’t force her to do anything against her will. I’m innocent. I sit here in front of you guys furious at myself, disgusted at myself for making a mistake of adultery.’

Bryant claimed that the incident was consensual (Picture: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

The case never made it to trial. A week before opening statements, the accuser said she would not be testifying. She had been hounded by the press, Bryant’s fans and his defence team for months, with her sexual past and mental health being targeted in pre-trial hearings.

Bryant’s defence team claimed the vaginal lacerations she had suffered could have been caused by her having sex with ‘multiple partners’ in a short period of time, despite a nurse saying the injuries most likely occurred in the past 24 hours. They also claimed she was excited to meet Bryant and allegedly requested an autograph.

The accuser had her identity leaked on numerous occasions and received death threats. Alleged victims of sexual assault are automatically given anonymity for a reason, and nobody deserves to have their trauma or sexual past used against them like that. These stakes get even higher when the person they’re accusing is a superstar with legions of rabid fans.

The first trauma for this woman was the alleged assault; the second was having her life destroyed by the reaction to the allegations. While she was promised anonymity, she now has this association for the rest of her life.

She had filed a separate civil suit and agreed to dismiss the sexual assault charge provided Bryant issue an apology in court. In the apology, read by Bryant’s attorney, the athlete admitted culpability for the accuser’s pain.

He said: ‘First, I want to apologise directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologise to her for my behaviour that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year. Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure.

Bryant issued an apology (Picture: Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

‘I also want to apologise to her parents and family members, and to my family and friends and supporters, and to the citizens of Eagle, Colo. I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman. No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case.

‘Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognise now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter. I issue this statement today fully aware that while one part of this case ends today, another remains.

‘I understand that the civil case against me will go forward. That part of this case will be decided by and between the parties directly involved in the incident and will no longer be a financial or emotional drain on the citizens of the state of Colorado.’

He settled the civil suit with his accuser in 2005 for an undisclosed amount.

Bryant lost lucrative campaigns with McDonald’s and Nike due to the allegations, and Nike stopped using him to promote their brand. But by 2005, Nike had brought him back into the fold, and Bryant was named NBA MVP in 2008 and was given the ESPY Icon award in 2018. He went on to win an Oscar for his touching animated short film Dear Basketball, based on his retirement letter, and was building an entertainment empire in his retirement, including publishing three children’s books and setting up a multimedia studio.

He was also a philanthropist – he co-founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation to help young people in need, was an ambassador for After-School All Stars to help provide after school programmes for kids across the US, and raised money for Call of Duty Endowment to help veterans after their military service has ended.

I entirely understand the heartbreak that fans are feeling at Bryant’s passing. He was an inspiration to millions. But we cannot ignore more unsavoury elements of his past just because he has died.

A Washington Post journalist, Felicia Sonmez, was inundated with threats and abuse after she tweeted a link to a story about the rape case in the hours after his death.

Kobe was an icon and inspiration to millions (Picture: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

She tweeted: ‘Well, THAT was eye-opening. To the 10,000 people (literally) who have commented and emailed me with abuse and death threats, please take a moment and read the story – which was written 3+ years ago and not by me.

‘Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality, even if that public figure is beloved and that totality unsettling. That folks are responding with rage and threats toward me (someone who didn’t even write the piece but found it well-reported) speaks volumes about the pressure people come under to stay silent in these cases.’

Ms Sonmez has since been suspended, although sources from the publication claim that it was due to her screenshot of full names of those allegedly sending the abuse, rather than her link to the Daily Beast article.

But the reaction to Ms Sonmez’s post was clear – it’s disrespectful to bring up rape allegations during the mourning period.

Well, I disagree. For Bryant’s accuser, there was never a grace period before her reputation was dragged through the mud. She was never given a soft run of the abuse she was going to be hit with. And, as the news of Bryant’s death broke, she will be forced to see the face of the man she accused of rape splashed over every newspaper and website in the world, with headlines about what a legend, hero and inspiration he was.

I’m not saying Kobe wasn’t those things. But equally true was that he was charged with sexual assault, and in a statement, he admitted that he now understood that his accuser didn’t see the incident as consensual. Two things can simultaneously exist, and in this case, the bad must come with the good.

Much like when Michael Jackson died, when reflections on the allegations of child abuse against him nestled next to odes to the King of Pop, we have to acknowledge the other parts of the narrative.

Erasing these allegations from the conversation does a disservice to victims. And in the post #MeToo world, where beloved figures are rightly called out for their misconduct, we can’t let that happen. Pointing out that Jackson has been accused of child molestation (allegations his estate denies) does not negate all of his music, or the impact he had on fans, and vice versa. And the same should be true for Kobe – he was an icon to some, and an abuser to others.

My heart breaks for Kobe’s wife Vanessa, losing her husband and daughter in such horrific circumstances, and I feel for every fan who has lost their idol. But as much as we must allow those fans to grieve, we must allow others to illuminate the dark spots in his career.



Victim Support

Victim Support offers support to survivors of rape and sexual abuse. You can contact them on 0333 300 6389.

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