Sports - Kobe Bryant Arrested For Sexual Assault ...?! - Page 15

kid73 · 08-07-2003, 09:42 PM

I think IF Kobe is guilty (and that is a big IF), he should be put in jail for the rest of his life....that should serve some lesson for all these so-called celebrities, who think they can get away of anything.

I would be just fine, watching NBA without him....

ps_dreamer · 08-07-2003, 09:54 PM

I have a feeling that Kobe's innocent...and he's being accused.

*sigh*

I still can't believe it...

Drekkan · 08-08-2003, 01:43 AM

You miss the point, Kobe's "Good Guy" image merely levels the playing field. In a court of law the defence can't present any evidence that goes against the character of the defendent; whereas that is usually the tactic of the prosecution (make the defendent into a horn monster).

You say she faces an uphill battle? I darn well hope so. That's the whole POINT of our justice system, innocent until PROVEN guilty. The burden MUST be placed on the prosecution; however, more and more in rape trials (I'm talking generally here), it's the defendent that seems that they have to prove that they DIDN'T rape the victim.

Further, victim testimony isn't always best. Sometimes, after the fact, they resort what happened in their heads. "Oh ****, what if I get pregnant? What'll happen to me. What if he just blows me off. I shouldn't have done this... etc. Wait, he RAPED me. I would NEVER have consented." This doesn't always happen, but it can. Furthermore, in trials where it's more about finding who did do it (not one like Kobe's) then the victim's memory can be selective. There have been cases where the victim said she was SURE that one defendent had raped her, and then the DNA came through and proved the guy wasn't even at the scene.

Like I said, if it's he said she said, even if the guy's character has been thrown out the window, you ultimately HAVE to acquit, because there's still doubt.

Jordan23 · 08-08-2003, 06:58 AM

Quote:

originally posted by Kimba:

As for Kobe...he's charming? His charm has always been lost on me. But that aside, we don't know him. I don't know if he's really charming or not. And furthermore, because he's been so closed off to his teammates and other NBA players, nobody is really stepping forward to vouch for him. Nobody on his own team has stepped forward to say he would NEVER do this. Nobody. Why? Cause nobody knows. All they can do is HOPE he didn't.

I agree.

I'm still undecided on what's true or if he really did it...but w/ all the stuff coming out each day, makes it harder to have a clear head.

Jordan23 · 08-08-2003, 09:02 AM

Quote:

T-Mac: 'Stick with your wife'

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tracy McGrady is surprised that Kobe Bryant didn't know better.

"If you're married, stick with your wife,'' McGrady said Thursday. "Don't do anything crazy that's going to cause problems in your household. Keep a happy family.''

Bryant is charged with one count of felony sexual assault on a 19-year-old worker at a Colorado hotel on June 30. The Los Angeles Lakers guard has said the sex was consensual.

"I hope he beats this and he can get back on the right track, stay focused and just concentrate on basketball,'' McGrady said.

Before being accused, Bryant enjoyed a sterling image and was showered with adulation from fans, advertisers and his peers -- McGrady included.

"Kobe's a great guy, he really is, and I never thought this would occur,'' McGrady said. "I just thought he was that perfect guy with a good, clean image.

"One minute, you're on top of the world. And then the next, endorsement people are backing off of you.''

Bryant already has lost one of his many endorsement contracts; the maker of Nutella chocolate spread is phasing out ads featuring Bryant in part because of his legal troubles.

McGrady and Bryant, each a superstar at age 24, engaged in a season-long duel for the league's scoring crown.

Bryant racked up nine consecutive games in February with at least 40 points. But McGrady rose to the challenge, averaging almost 36 points that month and the next to capture the title with 32.1 points per game to Bryant's 30.

"You'd hear everywhere, 'Who's the better player out of Kobe and T-Mac,''' McGrady said. "It just so happened you had those guys going for the scoring race, just competing every night at a high level. I thought it was good for the league.''

The two were to play together on the U.S. Olympic qualifying team later this month, but Bryant pulled out of the tournament less than a week after the charge was filed against him July 18. He still plans to play for the U.S. team at the 2004 Olympics.

"Hopefully, a lot of fans tune into what we're doing over there in Puerto Rico and not so much worrying about what Kobe's going through,'' said McGrady, who will be making his debut in international competition. "Every time you turn on the channel, it's Kobe this, Kobe that. Hopefully, we can draw some of that attention to us.''

Replacing Bryant on the U.S. team is McGrady's distant cousin, Toronto guard Vince Carter. The two played together on the Raptors for two seasons before McGrady signed with Orlando as a free agent in August 2000.

The Olympic qualifying tournament begins Aug. 20 in San Juan.

- ESPN.com

twoods · 08-08-2003, 10:31 AM

I'm just confused about the different reports. First there is reported "vaginal tearage" and now they had anal sex? doesnt make sense...ahhhh all this confusion.

Milt Palacio · 08-08-2003, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Kimba:
There was an article in the LA Times were he actually ended an interview when someone teased him about going to Brazil and being tempted. His response was terse: "I would never cheat on my wife".

Of course he would! When you get married that young and are a superstar you can only avoid temptation so long!

-Will

SuperDeluxe · 08-08-2003, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Whites, blacks see Bryant case differently
By Patrick O'Driscoll and Tom Kenworthy, USA TODAY
DENVER � Public opinion is almost evenly divided about whether the sexual assault charge against basketball superstar Kobe Bryant is true, according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll released Thursday.
But the survey also shows that black and white respondents differ significantly about the case, mirroring past racial splits over the legal troubles of former football star O.J. Simpson and boxer Mike Tyson. (Related item: Full poll results)

This week's poll of 1,003 adults found 41% think the felony charge against the Los Angeles Lakers guard is "definitely" or "probably" true, while 38% say it is false. They were questioned by telephone Monday through Wednesday. The poll has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.

But more than two-thirds of blacks in that sample and in an identical poll July 25-27 said they think the charge is false. About one-fourth believed it is true. Whites in the two polls were about evenly split.

Forty percent of whites also said they were "very" or "somewhat" sympathetic toward Bryant. Nearly two-thirds of blacks were sympathetic.

The 24-year-old NBA All-Star was charged with felony sexual assault in Colorado last month for a June 30 incident involving a 19-year-old female employee of a luxury mountain retreat near Vail. Bryant publicly admitted he committed adultery, but he insists that the encounter was consensual, not forced.

Bryant had his first court appearance Wednesday in Eagle, Colo., which lasted seven minutes. The judge set Oct. 9 for a preliminary hearing to hear evidence and determine whether the case should go to trial. Bryant is free on $25,000 bond.

Overall, about half of the respondents to this week's poll said they don't sympathize with Bryant, while two-fifths say they do.

The different responses by race reflect the divide in the mid-1990s over murder charges against Simpson and Tyson's rape conviction.

In March 1995, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken early in Simpson's trial found two-thirds of whites believed the charges against him were true. But only about one-fourth of blacks believed the charges were true. More than half of blacks, 55%, said they thought the charges were false. Just one-fifth of whites answered the same.

Asked whether they felt sorry for Simpson, 64% of blacks said they were sympathetic. Just 34% of whites said that. One-fifth of blacks were unsympathetic, vs. more than half of whites.

The same poll, taken shortly before Tyson's release from prison, found that far more blacks (71%) believed the rape charge was false. One-third of whites thought that.

The new polls found more blacks than whites are following the Bryant case, which has dominated cable TV, talk radio and the Internet. Nearly three-fourths of blacks questioned, 73%, said they are watching developments closely, while 58% of whites say the same.

As I thought this would boil down, when the accused is black..and the victim is white.

Whites thinks hes guilty, blacks dont.

this is a sad statement on america, but its true.

[ 08-08-2003: Message edited SuperDeluxe ]

ursa major · 08-08-2003, 11:10 AM

Yeah, despite Kobe's declaration of loyalty I find it hard to believe that any young man in his position would remain faithful for long.

It was nice to see him try and portray this type of image, however I never bought it. Maybe it's just the cynic in me but I think a faithful celebrity is few and far between.

Milt Palacio · 08-08-2003, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SuperDeluxe:

As I thought this would boil down, when the accused is black..and the victim is white.

Whites thinks hes guilty, blacks dont.

this is a sad statement on america, but its true.

I don't think that's a fair statement, the article said whites were evenly split.

The vast majority of blacks polled back in 1995 also thought O.J. was innocent. And anyone with two brain cells knows he did it. I'm not saying I think Kobe is guilty.

-Will

[ 08-08-2003: Message edited Milt Palacio ]

SuperDeluxe · 08-08-2003, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Milt Palacio:


I don't think that's a fair statement, the article said whites were evenly split.

The vast majority of blacks polled back in 1995 also thought O.J. was innocent. And anyone with two brain cells knows he did it. I'm not saying I think Kobe is guilty.

-Will

[ 08-08-2003: Message edited Milt Palacio ]

Well okay, But a far greater amount of blacks thought he is innocent.

What are you saying? Are you saying that black people dont have the brain cells? Umm I have more than 2 brain cells, and there was ENOUGH reasonable doubt, that he wasnt found guilty.

You might not be saying that kobe is guilty, but you are sure implying it.

Milt Palacio · 08-08-2003, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SuperDeluxe:

What are you saying? Are you saying that black people dont have the brain cells? Umm I have more than 2 brain cells, and there was ENOUGH reasonable doubt, that he wasnt found guilty.

Of course I'm not saying that black people don't have the brain cells. I would never say or believe something like that.

They were just biased in the O.J. case. There's never been a muder case with more evidence, his blood was everywhere at the muder scene and there were no other suspects and there was motive. I don't see how any reasonable person could find him not quilty.

That's all I'm going to say about this. I think Kobe will be found innocent, but he will never be looked at the same by his fans.

-Will

Drekkan · 08-08-2003, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Milt Palacio:


Of course I'm not saying that black people don't have the brain cells. I would never say or believe something like that.

They were just biased in the O.J. case. There's never been a muder case with more evidence, his blood was everywhere at the muder scene and there were no other suspects and there was motive. I don't see how any reasonable person could find him not quilty.

That's all I'm going to say about this. I think Kobe will be found innocent, but he will never be looked at the same by his fans.

-Will

Actually say a show on Discovery about this. Pretty much concluded he was innocent. The glove first. Multiple scientific experiments showed that it COULDN'T have shrunk so much in the time it had, even when fully soaked through. Plus there's the issue of the blood that just "disappeared" from police custody (when the guy looking after it was a proven racist). Add that it's the LAPD. When the accused is black, the only way to find the truth is to believe the OPPOSITE of what the LAPD says. It's THE most racist police force in the world.

Finally, the most conclusive evidence, in my mind, came from Michael Moore. OJ was rich, rich people don't even buy there own groceries. Now, I'm not saying he didn't PAY someone else to do it, but that's not murder 1; that's conspiracy.

All this from a white guy.

SuperDeluxe · 08-08-2003, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Milt Palacio:


They were just biased in the O.J. case. There's never been a muder case with more evidence, his blood was everywhere at the muder scene and there were no other suspects and there was motive. I don't see how any reasonable person could find him not quilty.

That's all I'm going to say about this. I think Kobe will be found innocent, but he will never be looked at the same by his fans.

-Will

He wont be looked at the same by YOU maybe, but not by me.

Well I guess we will have to agree to disagree. You think no reasonable person can come to a conclusion of innocence, and I disagree with that, and the fact that the jury voted 12-0 that he was not guilty backs me up. Considering they were in the court room, and saw every evidence out there. Its easy to play arm chair QB from our couches.

Milt Palacio · 08-08-2003, 12:45 PM

All valid points. Do you still believe OJ is innocent today?

-Will


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