Kobe Charged With Sex Assault
Kobe Bryant was charged Friday with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in a case bound to tarnish the career of one of the NBA's superstars.
"It is alleged that he had sexual penetration of intrusion and caused the submission of the victim through actual physical force," said Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert during a news conference.
The 24-year-old Bryant faces four years to life in prison if convicted on the single felony count, Hurlbert told reporters.
The woman worked the front desk at the resort where Bryant was staying.
Bryant's attorney, Pamela Mackey, scheduled a Friday evening news conference in Los Angeles.
Bryant maintained his innocence after the charges were filed.
"I did not assault the woman who is accusing me. I made the mistake of adultery. I have to answer to my wife and my God for my actions that night and I pray that both will forgive me," he said in a statement. "Nothing that happened June 30th was against the will of the woman who now falsely accuses me."
His wife, Vanessa, also released a statement, saying she stood by her husband. "He is not a criminal," she said.
Hurlbert refused to talk about the details of the case. He said he reviewed all evidence during the last two weeks and consulted prosecutors around the state before making his decision.
"This did not come easily," he said.
The case has riveted the sports world for nearly two weeks because it involves one of the NBA's brightest and most magnetic young stars. The recently married father of a baby girl has also used his wholesome image to land multimillion-dollar endorsement deals.
Documents in the case, including the arrest warrant, have been sealed.
Authorities have said the Los Angeles Lakers star assaulted the woman June 30 at the gated Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in nearby Edwards. He was in Colorado for knee surgery at a Vail clinic, and was booked at the lodge from June 30 to July 2.
Eagle County sheriff's deputies took Bryant to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs for tests early July 2, later letting him leave in a taxi with his bodyguards.
The woman also underwent tests, and Hurlbert has said he needed information from the state crime lab before making his decision.
Bryant surrendered to authorities July 4 and was released an hour later after posting $25,000 bond. The sheriff refused to release Bryant's booking photo for days.
The arrest was announced July 6, prompting a firestorm of media attention on this small mountain town 100 miles west of Denver. Reporters swamped the cul-de-sac where the woman lives with her parents, but she has said nothing publicly. Her family has consulted an attorney.
The news stunned basketball fans: Bryant, a five-time All-Star who has already won three titles with the Lakers, is by most accounts a quiet man who prefers dinner with a few friends to joining teammates for a night on the town.
Kareem Rush, an LA Lakers teammate of Bryant's, defended the star. Rush told CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker, "Knowing him as a teammate and knowing him and his character, it's totally ludicrous.
Sports marketing experts say the case will be a permanent blow to Bryant's image. But Bryant's reputation is not the only thing at stake.
CBS' Whitakerspoke to sports marketing consultant David Carter about the effects of the charges on Bryant's high-profile endorsements. Bryant recently signed a Nike deal worth a reported $45 million.
If convicted, Carter said, "Something like this would be so off the charts for somebody of such high esteem that it would all but be over for him with all of his major companies."
Bryant entered the NBA in 1996 at age 18, straight out of high school. He has drawn comparisons to the league's greatest players as he has helped Los Angeles win consecutive titles from 2000-02.
Along with his determination, Bryant has also shown class, something many fans feel are missing from other NBA stars. He wept when the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by San Antonio in May, and he wore his hospital ID bracelet in a game the day after his daughter was born.
He married Vanessa Laine in April 2001. The two met on the set of a music video where Laine was working and got engaged while she was still in high school. Vanessa gave birth to their first child, Natalia Diamante Bryant, in January.