Kobe Bryant's Defense

Kobe Bryant's Defense

Christopher Ruddy
Monday, July 21, 2003

Basketball great Kobe Bryant is accused of rape and yet another media circus has begun.

I don’t know Kobe or his accuser. But I do know the American way.

And the American way says there is a presumption of innocence – until the accused is found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Today, however, the 24-hour media madness makes reserving judgments almost impossible,

This story has all the ingredients for tabloid sensation: crime, celebrity, race and sex. Move over, Laci Peterson case, this one upstages you. Scott is not a celebrity and race is not an issue.

And once again Americans will surf the TV news channels and draw their own conclusions.

If any immediate judgment can be made about the case, it should fall in Kobe Bryant’s favor. It falls in his favor because the system says he is innocent until proven guilty.

But there are other compelling reasons to make that conclusion.

Bryant has no history of such erratic or violent behavior. A married man with child, there has never been talk of drugs, sex or violence in his past.

In fact, young Bryant has been compared to Tiger Woods, a true gentleman known for his low-key, respectable behavior.

Kobe, who we know as a public figure, has been accused by a young lady who we know very little about. We have never seen her face or heard her voice; we don't even know her name.

What we do know about her is not so reassuring.

She is a young woman who liked meeting celebrities and wanted to be a star herself. She had auditioned for Fox’s "American Idol" program.

The Orange County Register reported Sunday that just two months ago, she made an attempt to kill herself with a drug overdose and her family called 911.

Yet, despite the facts these charges are so out of character for Bryant, so many Americans are disposed to believe his accuser.

I was shocked to see MSN’s online survey that this weekend showed some 48 percent of those voting were inclined to believe the accuser and not the athlete.

I never thought racial stereotyping was so pervasive. But I must have been wrong; it must be more serious than I thought.

For sure, Bryant comes with the deck stacked against him. Consider:

How can he as a black man expect to get a fair trial in this community in Colorado?

Put another way, who are the jurors going to believe, the young girl from their community or the black celebrity from Los Angeles?

How can Kobe expect the prosecutors to be fair? An unknown district attorney becomes an international media figure by prosecuting Bryant, not by saying the evidence doesn’t support a case.

It’s an awful temptation for a prosecutor if he has political ambitions or celebrity aspirations. We saw how government prosecutors from the Simpson case went on to get six-figure books deals, TV offers and other emoluments.

Kobe’s life will be more intensely scrutinized than his accuser’s, and because he is publicly identified by name, he will suffer more. Meanwhile, any criticism of the accuser will be painted as vicious smearing of a victim.

Some of the media seem intent in bringing Kobe down. One sports pundit suggested, “We don't know Kobe Bryant.” (OK, who do we really know? You can say that about anybody).

Another found some circumstantial evidence in a recent interview Kobe gave to Dime magazine in which he discussed his competitive ways.

Bryant said he is “very aggressive" and doesn’t like to take no for answer. (I guess that makes him – and every other pro-athlete – a potential rapist? Give me a break.)

This circus has only just begun, and already the mud is slinging.

Thinking people should keep cool heads, reserve judgment and hope that justice is served.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
Media Bias

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