Volume I No. 87
 07-20-03
 He Said. She Said.
 { Kobe Bryant's No Win Situation }
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2003

 Better get used to it. Because from now until the day that Kobe Bryant's
 rape trial is litigated and done with, this tragedy will be exploited to no end 
 by both the print and broadcast media. This case will in a sense become 
 OJ II, except thankfully, no one is deceased this time.

 How did someone so seemingly thoughtful and measured as Kobe Bryant
 allow himself to be ensnared into such an ugly, life-altering situation. Did
 he do it? Did he rape the young woman? -- In fact, unless there is a video 
 tape somewhere the public will never have a definitive answer. It is a strictly 
 "he said, she said" situation.

 If Kobe is found guilty. He will be guilty in the eyes of the law. Will that 
 mean he actually committed the rape. -- No.

 If Kobe is found innocent. The Los Angelos Lakers and the millions of
 Kobe fans world-wide will breathe a huge sigh of relief. But will that mean 
 that Kobe did not actually commit the rape? -- No.

 A finding of innocent will mean that the case was not proven in court.
 Nothing more. Nothing less.

 Only Kobe Bryant and the young woman who was alone in his hotel room 
 the night of July 30th, 2003 will ever know the full story. A torn blouse, a 
 vaginal tear, loud noise filtering through the walls. Is this evidence of a rape? 
 -- No. 

 The sex could have been consensual and rough. Or the young lady could 
 have been willing until the very end, when the reality of the mistake she 
 had made became clear to her. 

 That's the tragedy of it all. For Kobe. If the allegation is in fact, false. A 
 woman does not have to be around the bend, to cry rape. -- After the fact. 
 She can be 90% sane and just 10% loopy. 

 Perhaps Kobe's accuser is emotionally unstable. There are rumors already
 of an attempted suicide earlier this year. Perhaps she was afraid that there 
 would have to be some explaining on her part, for the time she was alone 
 with Kobe. Perhaps when she went to the room, she had not intended to
 have sex with the NBA star. Perhaps she felt shame. Humiliation. And let's
 not forget the racial element. This is after-all America, and history hangs 
 hangs heavy over anything sexual between black men and white women.
 In the end, there are innumerable reasons why a false rape accusation could 
 be made.

 This case, besides the parallels to the OJ Simpson case, is similiar in many 
 respects to both the Mike Tyson and William Kennedy Smith rape cases. 
 Millions of Tyson fans believe that he was merely guilty of offending Desiree 
 Washington, the young woman involved. He behaved as an uncouth lout. 
 Not as a gentleman. She decided later that it was rape, and thus, the 
 ex-heavyweight chamption, bad reputation in hand, was an easy conviction.

 While William Kennedy Smith got off because of his well-connected name, 
 and the affluent location where his trial was adjudicated. In other words, his 
 wealthy peers were not about to send one of their precious own off to the 
 big house, on the word of a woman of questionable morals. A low-life who 
 loved to spend too many hours hanging-out in seedy bars.

 "He said. She said."

 There is no way out of this mess for either Kobe or his un-named accuser. 
 Nothing that will ever be a satisfactory ending for all involved. This tawdry
 episode will be with them both for all of their days. Regardless of the outcome
 of any trial.

 But, the sad answer as to how this situation came about was perhaps on 
 display at the press conference, arranged by Kobe's lawyer the other night. 
 There we had the Laker star, newly clean shaven, with his beautiful young 
 wife, Vanessa, beside him. She clasped his hand tightly. Stroked his fingers. 
 But not once, did she whisper anything to him. 

 At that table, underneath the bright, and unforgiving lights, Kobe was
 revealed to be a young man. Some might even say a baby-faced young 
 man. Welcome to the real world, Kobe.

 Meanwhile, his faceless accuser is but ninteen years old, herself. A recent
 high-school graduate. 

 Never will there be a more poignant -- and painful -- illustration than this 
 sad affair, as to how youth and innocence, is forever wasted on the young.
 

 ReadingPost.Com
 © Copyright 2003

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