Kobe Bryant

[Edwina's Secretary]

KYS...that is my concern. I worked in a resort when I was younger (and more naive!) than this woman. I knew you did not EVER go to a guest's room unless it was a blood relative. She had already met him.

I am worried that, due to the high level of attention this case has recieved, and the...to many...dubious nature of the claim...that rape victims will be afraid to come forward or will be disbelieved.

I am worried this case will, in fact, set BACK the cause of rape victims.

[leslie]

I still believe she was raped (fyi) and I agree with you! Women need to take responsibility for themselves and save themselves!

[micki76]

Originally posted by sirrahbed
We do NOT know if the girl was raped but the fact that she may have been immoral should not matter. The fact is that Kobe Bryant IS married. The accuser SHOULD have been able to tell him NO and expect him to stop whatever it was he was doing.

Just want to say that I completely understand with what you're saying about the rape shield.

But first you say that her being immoral should not matter, then in the same breathe you state that Kobe IS married. If her immoral past has no bearing on anything, then neither does his immorality, IMO.

You can’t disregard her past and not his. Being married doesn’t even enter into the issue of whether he raped her or not for me. Neither does her past.

Her going to his hotel room says more about her intentions than anything in her past ever could. JMO

And yes, IF she said no, he should have stopped. ITA.

[Logan]

This whole thing is so screwed up. I want to believe in his innocence after all that we have learned about this particular "victim", but like you, Debbie, I don't want to see this hurt other rape victims. It will be good when it is over. Her filing the civil suit to get money sort of sealed my opinion, but that's all it is, an opinion.

[micki76]

Originally posted by sirrahbed
The HUGE difference here is that SHE is the victim and HE is the accused on trial. Rape is a crime. So, his morality IS significant while hers as a victim should be irrelevant. She is not on trial here.

Again - I am not arguing her innocence - I am arguing the fact that the rape shield is in place to keep a VICTIM from being treated as equal to the criminal - exactly what is happening in the Kobe Bryant trial. The arguments you are making above are supporting the very problem I am arguing. The victim must not be treated to the same standards as the accused.

But it's not been proven that he even IS a criminal. He's only been accused. Innocent until proven guilty.

The accused have rights also, as they should until their guilt is proven. That's a great right we all have in this country.

Like I said before, I'm very glad that I don't have the responsibility of deciding who's being truthful in this case. What a huge weight to carry.

[heinz57_79]

I just now caught this thread and thought i'd toss in my 2 cents...

This country has a habit of making heros of those who should be seriously reprimanded. I've heard all sorts of stuff Re. Kobe, and so many people are saying, "BUt he loves his fiance so much! He proposed and everything!" Yeah, he did, but only AFTER he was accused of sexual assault and she found out he was cheating. If you look at her face at the press conferences, she looks as if she knows he's guilty but wants her 15 minutes of fame too.

If he is aquitted, they everyone will be saying, "He was targeted because of his fame," "He rose above the accusations," blah blah blah. Not one word will be said about his infideleties, or his immoral behaviour. ANd if i may say so, his gf/fiance/wife/whatever is an idiot for staying with him, thinking it will never happen again.

To make my point about heros... We have turned Magic Johnson into an HIV/AIDS advocate. Why? Yes, the disease is terrible, but what is rarely spoken of is HOW is contracted it. Cheating on his wife with NUMEROUS women. He should not rise to hero status just because of his disease, instead why not use him as an example??? What kind of message does this send to the youth? President Clinton was shown to be above the law. ANyone else would hvae been in trouble for purgery. What happened to him? Not a whole heck of a lot. It was kind of glossed over.

All these men cheated on their wives and got what they deserved.... or did they?

[dukedogsmom]

heinz57_79, you took the words right out of my mouth. I couldn't have said it better. I would have no desire to be with him and don't understand why women would? Just because he's famous? Sorry, that's not near good enough for me.

[leslie]

the term hero- I haven't looked it up but I thought heros were people who did something courageous; like jump in a river to save a drowning victim, go into a burning house to save a child or pet, go overseas to take gunshots for our country, etc. Why are star athletes considered akin to "heros"? They didn't do anything to earn this status. Or was he "rescuing" the desk clerk from her monotonous (sp?) job by giving her hotel variety? (kidding and sarcastic- sorry!) Just thinking about the word and that he shouldn't be referred to as a hero- but then I am not a sports fan- maybe to sports fans he is a hero?

[guster girl]

I don't know, I haven't noticed anyone calling athletes heroes per se. role models, yes, which, oftentimes, is just as undeserving a title. Some of them do deserve it. A lot of them still really are good people. A lot of them aren't. I hung out with a lot of pro athletes for a season here in Dallas, and, none of them were faithful. but, I honestly believe the women they marry know that, and, I also think that a lot of them do the same thing. But, from the girls I met, here they are with a hot guy that's going to hook them up financially for life. They're going to pop out a couple of kids and literally be set. It's not morally right, but, I have to think a lot of the infidelities aren't so secret. It almost seems just like an unspoken understanding. I could be wrong, I'm just going on what I saw. I never knowingly dated or went out with any of the married athletes, but, I know a lot of my friends did. And, the only one I did go out with, I asked him if he had a girlfried or wife, and, he lied about it. And, I didn't follow his team, so I didn't know he was married. Found out later on TV, though. ha ha, oh, well, I didn't do anything regretful anyway. Just dinner and a movie. But, yeah, anyway, I think Kobe's girl stayed with him because she weighed her options. I wouldn't stay with him, but, then, I wouldn't hook up with a guy just to get a purple diamond either. I just think she's completely aware and is probably alright with it. (I don't even begin to speculate on whether or not he raped that girl, I'll never know for sure and it's just a headache I don't need trying to figure out someone else's life) So, yeah, this post is just about his fiancee.

[RICHARD]

PROSECUTORS HAVE JUST DROPPED THE CHARGES AGAINST KOBE BRYANT...

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by RICHARD
PROSECUTORS HAVE JUST DROPPED THE CHARGES AGAINST KOBE BRYANT...

Yes, I just heard this also - but it isn't really what it sounds like. The charges were "dismissed without prejudice" and this is very unusual. Essentially it means the charges are dropped but can be brought up again at any time - sort of like putting them on hold. When charges are dropped in a case, it is almost always "with prejudice" meaning dismissed, dropped, over and done with, period...not to be filed or brought up again.

I would love to know what led up to this decision by the prosecution I doubt that they are giving up - I suspect they are just putting things off for a better time. Maybe the accuser is running scared at the moment?

[Logan]

Seems to be some conflicting information out there. See the attached article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5861379/?GT1=5100

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by Logan
Seems to be some conflicting information out there. See the attached article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5861379/?GT1=5100

Yes, this is also what I am now hearing. I did think dismissing without prejudice was odd, in fact I have never heard of it happening! I heard this on both NBC and Fox. Now Fox is saying it is unclear. Who knows?? Thank you for the article, Logan.

[My Peanuts]

Being a Chicago Bulls fan all my life, I have a little animosity towards the Lakers and I still think he's innocent. (yes I know basketball has nothing to do with this) What won me over was that the woman had slept with someone after she slept with Kobe. If I was raped, I would be so freaked out and wouldn't want to have sex for a long time. It seems like someone talked her into calling it rape after the fact. Then again, I haven't been following this all to closely. Just my opinion

[Catsnclay]

[i]I would love to know what led up to this decision by the prosecution I doubt that they are giving up - I suspect they are just putting things off for a better time. Maybe the accuser is running scared at the moment? [/B]

Try M-O-N-E-Y.

As for running scared, wouldn't you be? They "mistakenly" leaked her name to the press, then they "mistakenly" released her medical records to the press, not once but TWICE. They already put her through a trial.........via the press.


As much of a basketball junkie that I am, it really makes me mad when they pamper these over-paid, whiny mulit-millionaires.