Girl who cried wolf, athlete who suffered

Last semester I wrote an article for the Online 49er giving my take on the Kobe Bryant rape trial, and as you may or may not know, in that article I was effectively censored. In the article I said what everyone else already knew — the name of the Kobe Bryant's accuser — but was forced to remove it after one of my editors told me that this newspaper does not publish the names of "rape victims."

"Rape victims?" I asked, baffled as to how many people had already instantly labeled Bryant as a rapist, while disregarding the vast amounts of evidence being released casting doubt on whether the sex was actually forced. Two weeks ago, according to CNN, Bryant's accuser placed a call to District Attorney Mark Hurlbert "to say she had had enough and would no longer cooperate." As far as I'm concerned, this proves that Bryant did not rape her beyond the shadow of a doubt. Furthermore, when looking back on my article from last semester, there is only one thing that I have to say: "I told you so."

During the course of the ordeal, several things became known that were quite damning when viewed against her accusations: not only did she have documented psychiatric problems, but she had had sex "with three different men in three days," Pamela Mackey, Bryant's attorney, brought forth in October's preliminary hearing. Does this honestly sound like the behavior of a woman who was actually raped? I don't think so.

Bryant was the real victim in this case, having his name dragged through the mud and being accused of rape, a heinous crime in-and-of-itself, while most newspapers still refuse to mention the name of his accuser.

What started 14 months ago has resulted in a number of different problems for Bryant, one of which is the loss of numerous product endorsements. Sports marketing firm Burns Sports & Celebrities Inc., estimates that Bryant makes $10 to $12 million a year from sponsorships, according to ABCNews.com. Bryant has now had his name forever tarnished, because of one girl's accusation against him. "In general, in the short term," Bob Williams, the president of Burns Sports & Celebrities, said, "controversy tends to hurt an athlete with a clean image more than a controversial athlete like Allen Iverson. When your image is clean, the controversy is more interesting. You guys in the media want to cover it more."

This woman wasted not only Bryant's time but also the public's time, casting a blanket of suspicion over the star athlete who, until now, was perceived to be a wholesome young man who mothers were proud their sons emulated.

Shouldn't his accuser's name finally be released now? Shouldn't she have to endure some sort of punishment for accusing Bryant of rape and not having enough gumption to finish the trial? Shouldn't she come out and admit that Bryant did not rape her, and that everything was consensual? Rape is one of the worst crimes a person can commit, and because of this, Bryant's career suffered a heavy blow from which he may or may not recover.

Personally, I feel sorry for her. She is obviously an emotionally unstable person who needs help. I also feel sorry for Bryant and what he has had to endure from this. One mistake he made turned into an explosive accusation, the full ramifications of which are still unknown, even though the trial was prematurely aborted. Perhaps Bryant's accusers name should be changed to faker.

Gerry Wachovsky is a journalism major at CSULB. He is also the Diversions Editor for the Online Forty-Niner. Letters to the Editor are welcome at OpEdD49er@yahoo.com.