great article on Kobe case

[Mark Piotrowski <markp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I just came across this article on ESPN's Page 2.  It really 
crystalizes what I've been thinking about the Kobe case and how its 
being discussed in the media (so much so i just wrote the author -- 
soemthing I really never do).


(the other) mark
gainesville, fl


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Who speaks for the victim?
By Kevin Jackson
Page 2 staff

I never realized I was a raging feminist until this weekend.

On paper, I'm one of the last people you'd expect to hear extolling 
the wisdom of Gloria Steinem or Martha Burk.

For cripesakes, I'm one of the editors in charge of Page 2 -- you 
know, the section of ESPN.com that has published approximately 2,500 
photos of Anna Kournikova, given Gregg Easterbrook a forum for his 
cheesecake "art" and turned Jennie Finch into a household name.

But this Saturday afternoon, I realized that ... uh, I'm not like other guys.

Or at least I'm not like the guys who I've heard discussing the Kobe 
Bryant case over the last couple of weeks. My car nearly careened off 
the road Saturday when I heard the host of a sports-talk radio show 
in New York offer this summary of the sexual-assault case against the 
Lakers superstar:

When you first hear that some woman has accused Kobe of sexual 
assault, your first thought is obviously that this must be some 
gold-digger or some woman who tried to "entrap" an NBA star. After 
all, we know Kobe, and this is totally out of character for him. 
These women are out there, and it's a dangerous world for these guys.

I'm sorry, but I must be living on a different planet here. Maybe 
I've just read too many tales of athletes' late-night activities off 
the police blotter, or maybe I'm too in touch with the "divine 
secrets" of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

Either way, when I hear that a professional athlete is being charged 
with rape, my first thought isn't that he's the victim. Nor do I 
immediately envision some sort of vexing vixen preying on poor 
unsuspecting millionaire athletes in a hotel lobby.

No, my first thought is to fear that a horrible crime has occurred 
... and to hope that I'm wrong.

And, yes, that's my first thought no matter how well I "know" the 
athlete -- whether that athlete is a "thug" like (fill-in-the-blank 
with your NBA bad boy of choice), or a "solid citizen" like Ray Allen 
or Kobe Bryant.

I certainly "know" Kobe Bryant better than most people on the street. 
I've interviewed him several times, including a brief one-on-one at 
last year's ESPY Awards. I've watched hundreds of his games and 
countless press conferences. I've seen more of his TV commercials 
than I care to count.

(I've also covered enough pro sporting events -- from the Super Bowl 
to the NBA Finals -- to know plenty about groupies and the world of 
temptations that confront professional athletes.)

And after all that, this is what I "know" about Kobe Bryant: He's 
eloquent and thoughtful. He gives good sound bites. He speaks 
Italian. He carries himself with class on and off the basketball 
court. And he's one of the best basketball players to ever lace up a 
pair of sneakers.

After last Friday's mesmerizing news conference at the Staples 
Center, I also now "know" that Kobe cheated on his wife of two years, 
a woman who bore his first child a mere seven months ago.

Here's what I don't "know" about Kobe Bryant: I don't know how he 
treats his family when they're behind closed doors. I don't know what 
his sexual habits are. I don't know if he has a raging temper. I 
don't know what he might be capable of when no one is around.

Look around your office or your school. No matter how much you think 
know some of the people that you come in contact with every single 
day, you probably don't know the answers to any of the questions 
above.

Remember, we thought we knew Kirby Puckett, O.J. Simpson and Bill Clinton.

Now, I'm not saying Kobe is guilty. I have no idea what really 
happened on the night of June 30 at the Cordillera Lodge & Spa, and 
all Americans are innocent until proven guilty.

All Americans except for the female victim in this case, that is.

Since the news of Bryant's arrest broke two weeks ago, it seems like 
we've been searching for reasons to discredit this woman. She tried 
out for "American Idol" ... so she must be seeking fame and fortune. 
She went up to Bryant's room voluntarily ... so she was asking for 
it. She was an employee of the hotel ... so she was behaving 
unprofessionally. She allegedly overdosed on drugs two months ago ... 
so she must be unstable.

I only "know" one thing about this woman: Her life is never going to 
be the same again, and yet she's pressing on with this case anyway.

Rather than look for reasons to doubt her story, I'm going to give 
her the benefit of the doubt until someone can prove she's lying -- 
the same benefit of the doubt so many people, men in particular, seem 
so eager to give Kobe.

On Sunday morning, I bumped into a fellow sports journalist who 
offered the following word of warning to me about the Kobe case: 
"Man, be careful what you say about this case around women. I was at 
a party Saturday night, and all I said was, 'Kobe made a pretty big 
mistake,' and a couple of women still jumped all over me."

Well, sorry, guys, but I understand why so many women are so 
outraged. I also understand why so many rape victims never come 
forward.

If this case does indeed turn into a he-said, she-said, I'm not going 
to blindly assume everything he says is true. And I'd at least like 
to withhold my final judgment until I hear what she has to say.

Kevin Jackson is the coordinating editor for ESPN.com. His email 
address is kevin.jackson@xxxxxxxxxx