The world went into a frenzy on Jan. 26th as news emerged confirming the death of NBA legend, Kobe Bryant. He died in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others. Kobe was not only an icon in basketball, but in Los Angeles where he spent 20 years playing for the Lakers, winning five championships, as an MVP. He dominated the league and was by far the best player of the decade. Everyone knew who Kobe was and when he retired after the 2016 season, no one forgot, especially Los Angeles.
In 2003, the basketball world was put in shock as their prized possession was accused of raping a 19-year-old girl and was arrested in Eagle, Colorado. Although this was never proven to be true due to the fact that the matter was settled privately, this gave many a reason not to trust the phenom, changing his public image dramatically.
Paying someone to drop any sort of charge does not look good, but we have to remember that it is necessary in some cases, and it is what celebrities and athletes do to get this out of the news whether they did it or not. Kobe was known to be mean, rude, and all-around arrogant back in the day, but a rapist? It was hard to believe and take in for many.
In a statement after the case was dropped, Kobe said, “Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize 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.”
Kobe evaded the claim that he did rape the girl at the time of consent, but understood that whether he believed it or not, she believed it was rape. Kobe could have just said this to get the media off his back, but these kinds of rape charges against athletes work both ways. Athletes do rape women, using their successful background and money to force a woman to their will, but women also falsely accuse professional athletes of rape because of the potential for a large payout. This is not to negate real rape victims, rape is an unforgivable crime that deserves life in prison, but false accusations of rape just for money can not only ruin a career but destroy a life.
Most of the community will remember Kobe Bryant as a family man, but there will always be those who believe he raped a woman, whether it is true or not. Many seem to have completely forgotten it was even apart of Kobe’s life which is interesting to see. But this will always be a mark on Kobe’s life, so people must choose whether to remember Kobe as Kobe or Kobe as the rapist. Social media along with almost everyone else remembers Kobe as the ‘Black Mamba’, but there will always be people that remember what Kobe was accused of.
