A few comments regarding info that's been released so far:
(1) The fact that the girl waited 12 hours to report the incident ruins her credibility. I disagree with this and think that her waiting actually strengthens her credibility. If this rape charge were truly a setup, then she would have immediately called the police. Her waiting makes sense: She was probably disheveled, confused, and distraught immediately after the incident and probably went home and told her family what had happened. The next morning, convinced that she didn't do anything wrong and that Kobe raped her, she reported the incident.
(2) The girl is making all of this up for money. I don't buy this at all. From what I've read, Kobe's bodyguard booked the room the morning of the incident, and the girl had no idea that Kobe would even be staying at the hotel until he actually arrived. Consequently, there could not have been a prolonged setup here. Either the girl is telling the truth or this 19 year-old was so sophisticated that she was able to put together in a matter of minutes a plan/story that was so credible that the DA bet his career on it.
(3) The fact that the girl willingly went to Kobe's room makes clear that the sex was consensual. This doesn't follow. This girl is only 19 and is probably naive. Perhaps someone older might understand that when someone invites you up for coffee he/she is really inviting you up for sex. But a 19 year-old girl might think that she's really coming up for coffee.
In any event, just because a celebrity invites you to spend time with him/her doesn't mean that sex is implied, especially when the celebrity is someone perceived to be clean-cut like Kobe. I mean, if Dennis Rodman, Deion Sanders, or Mike Tyson invites you up to their room, you're having sex. But when clean-cut family-man Kobe invites you up, you might just be hanging out.
Also, given Kobe's celebrity status, I'm sure that many people--men and women--would've been excited to spend time with Kobe just to see how a superstar lived. If Kobe had struck up a conversation with me and invited me to hang out with him, I would have gone.
(4) The accuser tried out for American Idol and can therefore not be believed because she's obviously seeking fame. This is the biggest piece of nonsense that I've ever heard. Has anyone historically garnered good fame by making a rape allegation? Is making a rape claim really a ticket to stardom? What stardom is this girl getting so far? She's going to be confined to her house for the next 6 months and Kobe's attorneys will take every opportunity to trash her reputation.
(5) Kobe has already lost credibility. Only after the DNA come out did this guy acknowledge the sex. Prior to the DNA coming out, he was implying that the entire allegation was bogus, saying something to the effect of "you guys know that I would never do anything like that".
He also comes out with his wife and says that his family is everything to him. But if he's such a family guy and if his family is so important to him, then why'd he cheat in the first place? I doubt that this was Kobe's first time cheating (it would be pretty bad luck if he gets accused of rape the first time he cheats on his wife). The guy was probably so used to banging groupies that he just kept on going when this chick said no. |
