Inhistoric.com: The Sports History Blog

On July 1, 2003, an arrest warrant was issued for NBA superstar Kobe Bryant. 19 year-old Katelyn Faber, an employee for The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera, had encountered Bryant at the Colorado hotel the night before. Kobe was staying there as a layover for a surgery he would have in Denver a few days later. Faber alleged to the Eagle County police that Bryant invited her to his room and raped her when she refused to have consensual sex.

Two-and-a-half weeks later, Eagle Country D.A. Mark Hurlbert charged the L.A. Laker with one count of sexual assault, meaning that if convicted, he could spend anywhere from four years to the rest of his life in prison. With the sports and media worlds buzzing from the shocking allegations, Bryant issued a press conference with his wife Vanessa beside him.

"I'm innocent, you know," he said. "I didn't force her to do anything against her will. I'm innocent."

Kobe spoke to the media in as calm and collected a state as he was on the basketball court. However, the image of the conference spoke louder than words. Bryant continually had to fight back tears and held the hand of his wife the entire time.

The picture just didn't add up to most Americans. Kobe Bryant wasn't just the best NBA player since Michael Jordan retired, he was the most marketable. He was charming and eloquent, clean and perfect. For the past year, he had told reporters how important marriage was to his life. And yet here he was, buying his wife a $4 million apology ring while admitting that if nothing else, he was "guilty of adultery."

The ensuing case took a decent chunk out of Kobe Bryant's 2003-04 season. He began appearing in court in October and frequently attended afternoon hearings on days when the Lakers were playing. On these occasions, Bryant would hop on a plane as soon as the court was adjourned and would typically enter the game at the beginning of the second half. Despite the gargantuan amount of press and distractions that followed him, Kobe played incredible under the circumstances and was voted onto the All-Star team (sexual assault allegations and all).

Bryant's defense attorney, Pamela Mackey, went on a barrage to discredit the accuser's reputation, including the revealing of her identity. She and others defending Bryant cut holes into the plaintiff's reputation, stating her past drug use, her suicide threats, and her sexual history. Semen samples and pubic hair from the underwear she wore that night suggested that she had been with three different men within three days of the encounter. The media's stranglehold on the case ensured that win or lose, the woman in question would struggle to resume a normal life.

Exactly fourteen months after the arrest warrant for Bryant was issued, the Eagle County judge officially dropped the case. Mark Hurlbert said the only reason he requested the dismissal was because his client stated she did not want to testify. The timing of it was questionable, since opening statements were to begin only six days later, and most experts said the prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence. Also, the accuser had filed a civil suit the month before, which contradicted her refusal to testify and made it seem she was just out for money.

Six months later, an out-of-court settlement put the sexual assault case to rest. In the end, neither party stood trial for a case that cost over $400,000 of taxpayer money. Many public defenders were disgusted at the way the trial was run and concluded that it was as much a reality show as it was a court case.

Bryant maintained a good deal of the public's trust when the ordeal came to an end. However, the serious accusations of that night made him temporarily radioactive to sponsors. Kobe lost his affiliations with Sprite, Spalding, McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Upper Deck, and Nutella. Had he not renewed his contract with Nike just days before he turned himself in, there was no doubt they would have cut him as well. It wasn't until 2005 when he started reappearing in Nike advertisements.

Kobe eventually rejoined the public spotlight as time erased the stunning court room proceedings. But because of the sordid allegations, and the assumption that his aversion to Shaquille O'Neal forced the "Big Diesel" off the Lakers, Kobe Bryant was for a short time the most unpopular man in basketball (at least until Ron Artest went bonkers at the Palace at Auburn Hills). And for a league struggling to find its identity after the retirement of Michael Jordan, this was a major blow to the NBA.