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CNN Live At Daybreak

Los Angeles Lakers Star Receives Quite a Bit of Support

Aired July 21, 2003 - 05:37   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To the Kobe Bryant case now. Since the sexual assault allegations and charges against the Los Angeles Lakers star were filed, he's received quite a bit of support, particularly from other athletes.
CNN caught up with some NBA players at Allen Iverson's celebrity softball game and we asked them about the charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DERRICK COLEMAN, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: Things happen. The main thing you have to realize is that we're all human beings. We all make mistakes, you know? I just hope he learns from and keeps it (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

ROD STRICKLAND, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: I'm a 110 percent behind him. I hope things go well for him. You know, I think, you know, we all know things can be said, that don't necessarily mean it's true. And I just hope he gets a fair shot and things work out for him.

JAHIDI WHITE, WASHINGTON WIZARDS: That's the price of stardom sometimes, you know, any little thing or any little allegation somebody puts against you, you know, and it's especially a player like Kobe Bryant, this guy's kind of hard, you know? And it could be considered negative but, you know, we all know his character. We all know who he is and we know this is not him, you know? This could not be -- he could not do anything like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The "Orange County Register" is reporting that Bryant's accuser overdosed on drugs two months before the incident. A close friend is quoted as saying the 19-year-old was depressed. The alleged victim's past is expected to come into play in the case.

And as Michael Okwu reports, it is not without precedent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In almost the same breath that District Attorney Mark Hurlbert announced he will be prosecuting NBA star Kobe Bryant, he warned the media not to focus on Bryant's accuser.

MARK HURLBERT, EAGLE COUNTY, COLORADO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I ask you to respect the victim's privacy in this matter. OKWU (on camera): Kobe Bryant is a public figure, a star, and we all think we know who he is. The fact is, we don't really know, although he may be a great guy. What we do know is that we don't know who his accuser is. Naturally, we'll all be curious. And so it makes sense to some people that in the court of public opinion, as well as in the courtroom, the accuser would also be on trial. Speculation is already rampant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here's a girl who is rumored to be star struck. She named her dog after Mariah Carey. She's auditioning for "American Idol."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're trying to get access to some athlete, especially to a female, sooner or later you're going to find a way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The best lawyers will uncover anything she has ever done in her life.

KAREN COLEMAN, RAINN BOARD MEMBER: Oh, gosh, I would have to guess she'd have to go into hiding.

OKWU (voice-over): Karen Coleman, a rape survivor, says anyone who accuses a public figure is at a disadvantage.

COLEMAN: It's easier for us to believe that the person who's accused them is lying because then it doesn't destroy our image of them being a hero.

OKWU: William Kennedy Smith may not have been a hero, but that name...

PATRICIA BOWMAN: He raped me.

OKWU: When Patricia Bowman accused him of raping her in 1991, there was much discussion about his great family, her single motherhood, the fact that she met him in a bar. Kennedy was acquainted. Mike Tyson wasn't. But his accuser, Desiree Washington, faced accusations herself, as a gold digging beauty queen who must have implicitly consented to something since she was in his hotel room.

In 1987, Jennifer Levin was portrayed as aggressively sexual in Robert Chambers' so-called preppy murder trial. Her mother would later say her daughter was murdered twice.

It's likely no one wins here. Kobe Bryant, possibly an innocent man, has the right to a fair trial. And that means the life of his accuser, possibly a victim, could be fair game.

Michael Okwu, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And coming up in our next hour, more on the Kobe Bryant case when our legal analyst, Kendall Coffey, takes a look at possible legal strategies in the case.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired July 21, 2003 - 05:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To the Kobe Bryant case now. Since the sexual assault allegations and charges against the Los Angeles Lakers star were filed, he's received quite a bit of support, particularly from other athletes.
CNN caught up with some NBA players at Allen Iverson's celebrity softball game and we asked them about the charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DERRICK COLEMAN, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: Things happen. The main thing you have to realize is that we're all human beings. We all make mistakes, you know? I just hope he learns from and keeps it (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

ROD STRICKLAND, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: I'm a 110 percent behind him. I hope things go well for him. You know, I think, you know, we all know things can be said, that don't necessarily mean it's true. And I just hope he gets a fair shot and things work out for him.

JAHIDI WHITE, WASHINGTON WIZARDS: That's the price of stardom sometimes, you know, any little thing or any little allegation somebody puts against you, you know, and it's especially a player like Kobe Bryant, this guy's kind of hard, you know? And it could be considered negative but, you know, we all know his character. We all know who he is and we know this is not him, you know? This could not be -- he could not do anything like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The "Orange County Register" is reporting that Bryant's accuser overdosed on drugs two months before the incident. A close friend is quoted as saying the 19-year-old was depressed. The alleged victim's past is expected to come into play in the case.

And as Michael Okwu reports, it is not without precedent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In almost the same breath that District Attorney Mark Hurlbert announced he will be prosecuting NBA star Kobe Bryant, he warned the media not to focus on Bryant's accuser.

MARK HURLBERT, EAGLE COUNTY, COLORADO DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I ask you to respect the victim's privacy in this matter. OKWU (on camera): Kobe Bryant is a public figure, a star, and we all think we know who he is. The fact is, we don't really know, although he may be a great guy. What we do know is that we don't know who his accuser is. Naturally, we'll all be curious. And so it makes sense to some people that in the court of public opinion, as well as in the courtroom, the accuser would also be on trial. Speculation is already rampant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here's a girl who is rumored to be star struck. She named her dog after Mariah Carey. She's auditioning for "American Idol."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're trying to get access to some athlete, especially to a female, sooner or later you're going to find a way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The best lawyers will uncover anything she has ever done in her life.

KAREN COLEMAN, RAINN BOARD MEMBER: Oh, gosh, I would have to guess she'd have to go into hiding.

OKWU (voice-over): Karen Coleman, a rape survivor, says anyone who accuses a public figure is at a disadvantage.

COLEMAN: It's easier for us to believe that the person who's accused them is lying because then it doesn't destroy our image of them being a hero.

OKWU: William Kennedy Smith may not have been a hero, but that name...

PATRICIA BOWMAN: He raped me.

OKWU: When Patricia Bowman accused him of raping her in 1991, there was much discussion about his great family, her single motherhood, the fact that she met him in a bar. Kennedy was acquainted. Mike Tyson wasn't. But his accuser, Desiree Washington, faced accusations herself, as a gold digging beauty queen who must have implicitly consented to something since she was in his hotel room.

In 1987, Jennifer Levin was portrayed as aggressively sexual in Robert Chambers' so-called preppy murder trial. Her mother would later say her daughter was murdered twice.

It's likely no one wins here. Kobe Bryant, possibly an innocent man, has the right to a fair trial. And that means the life of his accuser, possibly a victim, could be fair game.

Michael Okwu, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And coming up in our next hour, more on the Kobe Bryant case when our legal analyst, Kendall Coffey, takes a look at possible legal strategies in the case.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com