I was completely pro-Kobe at the start when he came out with his (through a representative) "you guys know I wouldn't do that."Of course, I interpreted this to mean that he wouldn't even have committed adultery in the first place.
I remember when he first decided to get married, I thought he was nuts. A young man of 21 or so with millions, meeting a girl who was still in high school, and deciding to get married to her within a year. But then I remembered the stories of fellow Laker teammates having problems with Kobe because he wouldn't hang out with them. He was more into staying with his family, playing video games, and practicing his game.
He appeared to be a man on a mission... a man of stellar morality and maturity for a guy his age. And, it was this appearance that led to his getting so many endorsement deals and my favorable opinion.
I believed that if anyone was capable of handling the pressures of gals coming onto him on the road, it was Kobe.
Kobe (and/or his reps) should have simply waited to comment. Because when the charges were announced... and then he stated that he had committed adultery... well, this was as unbelievable, to me, as his being guilty.
I posted these thoughts earlier, but had a computer crash... and Robert, interestingly enough, has added the link that I included in my closing (the alleged victim suffered a drug overdose two months earlier).
Nonetheless, Kobe's press conference -- added with his first response to the charges -- has definitely hurt my opinion of him... and, I am no longer of the belief that Kobe could not have done this.
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"Treat the Earth not as if it was given to you by your parents, but as if it was lent to you by your children." - Kenyan Proverb
"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw
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