Kobe's Jersey retirement ceremony.

Coinstartled

Surprising event in this highly charged sexual abuse allegation era.

Dude bought his way out of a rape conviction.

Justacommeman

And he was good at basketball

m

larryallen73

@Coinstartled said:
Surprising event in this highly charged sexual abuse allegation era.

Dude bought his way out of a rape conviction.

I am no Kobe fan (at all) but how do you know what happened? Were you in the hotel room? On the jury? It was a he said-she said, by one person, and he won in court. A lot different are the politicians and others who have a whole number of people making accusations against them. Like Bill Cosby who has like 50 accusers or some crazy number. I am not making excuses for Kobe but we don't know what happened so it seems presumptuous to make such a statement as you do.

bronco2078

@Coinstartled said:
Surprising event in this highly charged sexual abuse allegation era.

Dude bought his way out of a rape conviction.

Sometimes money helps people feel better

SanctionII

My memory of the criminal charges against Kobe is that prior to trial the District Attorney's Office chose to dismiss the case. This was done, if I recall correctly, because the "victim" got cold feet and decided that she did not want to go through with testifying at trial. Kobe this did not "win" in the form of a jury verdict of not guilty. He won because the other side dismissed the case.

Sort of like showing up for a basketball game only to find that the other team did not. Your team gets the win because the other team forfeited.

Whether Kobe was guilty of a crime or not will never be known, however he can fairly said to be guilty of "bad judgment" and cheating on his wife.

I also recall that money was paid to the "victim" to resolve any civil claim [likely with the standard settlement agreement that contains a release of claims and a confidentiality provision]; and that Kobe's wife received from him a $4,000,000.00 ring.

Money can in fact assuage hurt feelings and make "everything better for everyone".

Coinstartled

@larryallen73 said:

@Coinstartled said:
Surprising event in this highly charged sexual abuse allegation era.

Dude bought his way out of a rape conviction.

I am no Kobe fan (at all) but how do you know what happened? Were you in the hotel room? On the jury? It was a he said-she said, by one person, and he won in court. A lot different are the politicians and others who have a whole number of people making accusations against them. Like Bill Cosby who has like 50 accusers or some crazy number. I am not making excuses for Kobe but we don't know what happened so it seems presumptuous to make such a statement as you do.

I have no idea what happened in Eagle Colorado. That seems to no longer be the criteria for destroying careers and forcing team owners to sell their billion dollar plus assets. In this ready fire aim environment it is shocking that in a liberal hotbed such as LA, an accused rapist was honored in such a manner.

Coinstartled

From the LA Times.

"""Kobe Bryant and the woman who accused him of sexual assault settled her civil lawsuit out of court Wednesday, marking the end of an often-graphic 20-month legal saga that drew worldwide attention but never resulted in a trial.

Bryant and the 20-year-old woman said in a statement that the civil suit "has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties" and filed a motion in Denver asking U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch to dismiss the case.

Although there was no mention of a financial payout in the court filing or the statement, the Laker guard is widely believed to have agreed to write a check to the woman to bring about a quiet conclusion to the case.

"The parties and their attorneys have agreed that no further comments about the matter can or will be made," the lawyers' statement said."""

Coinstartled

Kobe's statement

"""First, I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior 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. I also want to apologize to her parents and family members, and to my family and friends and supporters, and to the citizens of Eagle, Colorado. 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 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. 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."""

pocketpiececommems

No mention on the definition of the word "is"