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Wednesday is Formal Hearing of Charges in Bryant Case
Aired August 04, 2003 - 15:31 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Wednesday is a big day for Kobe Bryant. He will face an important court hearing in Eagle, Colorado.
Our Gary Tuchman is live in Eagle. Gary, what's the hearing about?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the hearing should last about 15 minutes at the most, according to authorities in this courthouse here in Eagle County. It's called an initial appearance court. Kobe Bryant will be read his rights, told the charges. He will be asked if he understands everything and then he'll be told to come back in about a month or so for another hearing called the preliminary hearing.
One thing we want to tell you about, though, are his endorsements. He makes tens of millions of dollars a year from his endorsements. But today, for this first time since the sexual assault case broke, one of the companies is saying good-bye to Kobe Bryant. The name of the company is Ferrero. It's an Italian company that makes a product called Nutella chocolate spread. Now Ferrero is saying it was not going to renew its contract when it expired in January. But the company added to the statement, that we've received -- quote -- "considering the recent developments, Kobe's image on Nutella labels and promotional material is being phased out."
Now some of the biggest endorsements for Kobe Bryant include Nike, Sprite, McDonald's and Spaulding. All those companies say they are still keeping Kobe Bryant, although most of the national ad campaigns have been suspended, and these companies are kind of between a rock and hard place, because they want to honor the tradition in the United States of innocent until proven guilty, but they know running these ads at this time could be harmful to business, could insult certain people. So therefore, they're between a rock and a hard place right now with trying to figure out what to do. But those companies have kept Kobe Bryant.
We do want to tell you that this weekend, Kobe Bryant did step out a little bit. He's not keeping quiet while he's out on bail on this charge. This was in California, at the Universal Amphitheater, Universal City, California. He and wife went to the Teen Choice Awards. Hundreds of people surrounded the red carpet and screamed and welcomed him, screaming happily, joyously clapping for him, shouting his name. Kobe Bryant posed for pictures. He walked the red carpet, waved and won an award for best male athlete. So Kobe Bryant has been out here, but he will be here Wednesday for this hearing. One thing we want to talk tell you -- we were talking about the next hearing that will be schedule and that will be a very important, the preliminary hearing, which will be within a month, because at that hearing, for the first time, prosecutors will have to openly, in open court say some of the evidence they have. At that point, the judge will decide if there's probable cause to continue the case. If for some reason the judge says there isn't probable cause, then Kobe Bryant would be freed. But that would be a very rare decision. Back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Gary Tuchman in Eagle, Colorado, thank you.
Well, as we just heard, the charges against Kobe Bryant are already costing him money. Will it get worse? Can he control the damage?
Joining us, two people with some inside perspective on celebrity endorsements. Laura Ries is a branding analyst, best-selling author of "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR." She's with us here in Atlanta. And Rob Becker, a New York-based sports attorney.
Rob, let's start with you. What do you think? Showing up at the Teen Choice Awards -- is this something Kobe wanted to do, his lawyers wanted him to do? Was it a good idea?
ROB BECKER, ATTORNEY: I mean, I don't think it really makes much difference either way. He basically said he was innocent because he said there was a injustice. He went a little too far and said an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere, which show he's getting a sort of overinflated sense of himself. I mean, teen adulation only takes you so far. But I don't think it makes any difference in the case that, that appearance in L.A.
PHILLIPS: Laura, what do you think? Making an experience like this, does it make him look like he's saying, Eh, it's no big deal. I'm still great?
LAURA RIES, MARKETING EXPERT: Well, I think he does need to go on with his life. He needs go to the award. He should get up and say thank you very much. I appreciate it very much. He knew he was going to win the award. So not showing up might have looked bad.
But he really made a mistake in trying to make this a race case and mentioning Martin Luther King and going on about the case during his acceptance speech was definitely a mistake.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Rob, was that over the top, quoting MLK?
BECKER: Yes, I mean, I would say definitely. I mean, most people would consider M.L. King to be a great man. You know, I don't know that M.L. King was ever accused of rape. I'm quite sure he never was. So I think to compare himself to Martin Luther King is something he should be embarrassed about.
PHILLIPS: A little too much there. Let's talk about advertising. We got word today Nutella dumping him. Is this a trend? Is this what's going to happen? Is he going to start losing all of his advertisements?
RIES: I think over the longterm he's never going to have the status, the celebrity endorsements that he once had. Making over $20 million a year was really the top notch, the best in the business, the McDonald's, the Nike and the Sprite. So longterm he's not going to get those endorsements.
And, I mean, Nutella. Did anyone know he was even endorsing Nutella? I mean, half the people don't even know what Nutella was.
PHILLIPS: I had to think about that. It's that chocolate spread I had years ago in Europe, right?
RIES: It's delicious. It's an absolutely delicious product but nobody knew Kobe Bryant. But, yes, the smaller players are going to start writing him off. And it's that slow, gradual decline.
I mean, first of all, the Nikes are not going to be using -- Nike's not going to make a shoe with him most likely.
PHILLIPS: No pun intend intended.
RIES: Yes, they just -- they signed up that huge deal, $35 million, and, you know, probably not going to go anywhere.
But yes, longterm he's not going to make it,. But also, longterm he certainly could come back. I mean, there's lots of bad boys that have become very successful in the NBA. Look at Dennis Rodman. But Dennis Rodman does not get the endorsements that Kobe Bryant once did.
PHILLIPS: Rob, you know, you're a big time sports attorney. What do you think? Is he doomed here with regard to reputation, future, money? Is this just the beginning for bad boy No. 3? I mean, it could it be Martin Lawrence, Will Smith and Kobe Bryant?.
BECKER: Well, no, I mean, the issue is, is he going to be convicted or not? If he's convicted, he's done marketing wise. If he's not convicted, some people will think that here's an innocent man wrongly accused. They'll like him more. Other people will say, well, you know, he got off because they couldn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, but the evidence tended to look like it was more likely that he had committed the crime.
So there will be all sorts of reactions. I think people like Nike, who have really sunk a lot of money into him, are going to have to be stuck with him. They'll lie low for a while, see what happens. And if he gets off, Boom, they'll start using him again.
The most interesting thing about Nutella, which Laura was talking about before was -- he was a unique person for Nutella, because remember, Kobe spent a major portion of his childhood in Italy, speaks Italian fluently. He arrived in this country with an Italian accent. There is no one who could do for Nutella what Kobe could do. And yet, they still decided they're not going to use him for the rest of the year. And by the way, it appears that the reason they didn't renew his contract for after January of next year is because they want to appeal to an older demographic. The reason they're not using him the rest of the year is because of the events in Colorado. And look, that turned out to be more important than speaking Italian.
PHILLIPS: Laura, quickly, we just have about 30 seconds here.
But now, in addition to the allegations, you've got these 911 calls that are being revealed, all right? Allegedly he tells police he made the call. They find out months before July 3, the day he's arrested, the other 911 call.
RIES: Yes. Someone goes to the hospital.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Is this getting a little crazy here?
RIES: This is bad news. This is very damaging.
BECKER: I don't agree with that.
RIES: I don't know. How can you -- the problem is there's no explanation. If Kobe can come out and release something that gives an explanation for these calls, that would be -- he might survive it. But the problem is there's no answer.
BECKER: The police have already said that this was a medical condition, had nothing to do with Kobe, that there was no violence.
RIES: So why doesn't he say that? Why doesn't he say what it is it?
BECKER: Well maybe he hasn't gotten around to it yet, and maybe he has something else about that's embarrassing, Maybe it's a personal problem of his wife that he doesn't want to go into or a personal problem with someone else. He's not obligated to tell us everything that goes on in his private life. He has all sorts of reasons. Maybe his lawyers have told him not to.
RIES: He's fight are for his life, though.
BECKER: But it's clear -- the police have said he did not commit a crime. One of the times he wasn't even home. There was no violence. It was a medical example.
This is a typical example of the press blowing something out of proportion because the press wants to have a new story every day and there isn't one.
RIES: The press does, and that's what he's got to face. He's got to face the reality that the press is going to blow everything little thing.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: You hear a 911 call, you have to wonder, you know? I mean, he's...
BECKER: But people get sick.
RIES: For most people, it's a serious thing and they want to know why and I'm sure if there's....
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Rob, I got to agree. I think a lot of people are already sick of the story. Let's just find out what the decision is. We'll have you guys back; we'll discuss it again. Is that a deal?
RIES: I look forward to it.
PHILLIPS: Rob Becker, Laura Ries, always a pleasure. Thanks, guys.
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 August 4, 2003 - 15:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Wednesday is a big day for Kobe Bryant. He will face an important court hearing in Eagle, Colorado.
Our Gary Tuchman is live in Eagle. Gary, what's the hearing about?
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the hearing should last about 15 minutes at the most, according to authorities in this courthouse here in Eagle County. It's called an initial appearance court. Kobe Bryant will be read his rights, told the charges. He will be asked if he understands everything and then he'll be told to come back in about a month or so for another hearing called the preliminary hearing.
One thing we want to tell you about, though, are his endorsements. He makes tens of millions of dollars a year from his endorsements. But today, for this first time since the sexual assault case broke, one of the companies is saying good-bye to Kobe Bryant. The name of the company is Ferrero. It's an Italian company that makes a product called Nutella chocolate spread. Now Ferrero is saying it was not going to renew its contract when it expired in January. But the company added to the statement, that we've received -- quote -- "considering the recent developments, Kobe's image on Nutella labels and promotional material is being phased out."
Now some of the biggest endorsements for Kobe Bryant include Nike, Sprite, McDonald's and Spaulding. All those companies say they are still keeping Kobe Bryant, although most of the national ad campaigns have been suspended, and these companies are kind of between a rock and hard place, because they want to honor the tradition in the United States of innocent until proven guilty, but they know running these ads at this time could be harmful to business, could insult certain people. So therefore, they're between a rock and a hard place right now with trying to figure out what to do. But those companies have kept Kobe Bryant.
We do want to tell you that this weekend, Kobe Bryant did step out a little bit. He's not keeping quiet while he's out on bail on this charge. This was in California, at the Universal Amphitheater, Universal City, California. He and wife went to the Teen Choice Awards. Hundreds of people surrounded the red carpet and screamed and welcomed him, screaming happily, joyously clapping for him, shouting his name. Kobe Bryant posed for pictures. He walked the red carpet, waved and won an award for best male athlete. So Kobe Bryant has been out here, but he will be here Wednesday for this hearing. One thing we want to talk tell you -- we were talking about the next hearing that will be schedule and that will be a very important, the preliminary hearing, which will be within a month, because at that hearing, for the first time, prosecutors will have to openly, in open court say some of the evidence they have. At that point, the judge will decide if there's probable cause to continue the case. If for some reason the judge says there isn't probable cause, then Kobe Bryant would be freed. But that would be a very rare decision. Back to you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Gary Tuchman in Eagle, Colorado, thank you.
Well, as we just heard, the charges against Kobe Bryant are already costing him money. Will it get worse? Can he control the damage?
Joining us, two people with some inside perspective on celebrity endorsements. Laura Ries is a branding analyst, best-selling author of "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR." She's with us here in Atlanta. And Rob Becker, a New York-based sports attorney.
Rob, let's start with you. What do you think? Showing up at the Teen Choice Awards -- is this something Kobe wanted to do, his lawyers wanted him to do? Was it a good idea?
ROB BECKER, ATTORNEY: I mean, I don't think it really makes much difference either way. He basically said he was innocent because he said there was a injustice. He went a little too far and said an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere, which show he's getting a sort of overinflated sense of himself. I mean, teen adulation only takes you so far. But I don't think it makes any difference in the case that, that appearance in L.A.
PHILLIPS: Laura, what do you think? Making an experience like this, does it make him look like he's saying, Eh, it's no big deal. I'm still great?
LAURA RIES, MARKETING EXPERT: Well, I think he does need to go on with his life. He needs go to the award. He should get up and say thank you very much. I appreciate it very much. He knew he was going to win the award. So not showing up might have looked bad.
But he really made a mistake in trying to make this a race case and mentioning Martin Luther King and going on about the case during his acceptance speech was definitely a mistake.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Rob, was that over the top, quoting MLK?
BECKER: Yes, I mean, I would say definitely. I mean, most people would consider M.L. King to be a great man. You know, I don't know that M.L. King was ever accused of rape. I'm quite sure he never was. So I think to compare himself to Martin Luther King is something he should be embarrassed about.
PHILLIPS: A little too much there. Let's talk about advertising. We got word today Nutella dumping him. Is this a trend? Is this what's going to happen? Is he going to start losing all of his advertisements?
RIES: I think over the longterm he's never going to have the status, the celebrity endorsements that he once had. Making over $20 million a year was really the top notch, the best in the business, the McDonald's, the Nike and the Sprite. So longterm he's not going to get those endorsements.
And, I mean, Nutella. Did anyone know he was even endorsing Nutella? I mean, half the people don't even know what Nutella was.
PHILLIPS: I had to think about that. It's that chocolate spread I had years ago in Europe, right?
RIES: It's delicious. It's an absolutely delicious product but nobody knew Kobe Bryant. But, yes, the smaller players are going to start writing him off. And it's that slow, gradual decline.
I mean, first of all, the Nikes are not going to be using -- Nike's not going to make a shoe with him most likely.
PHILLIPS: No pun intend intended.
RIES: Yes, they just -- they signed up that huge deal, $35 million, and, you know, probably not going to go anywhere.
But yes, longterm he's not going to make it,. But also, longterm he certainly could come back. I mean, there's lots of bad boys that have become very successful in the NBA. Look at Dennis Rodman. But Dennis Rodman does not get the endorsements that Kobe Bryant once did.
PHILLIPS: Rob, you know, you're a big time sports attorney. What do you think? Is he doomed here with regard to reputation, future, money? Is this just the beginning for bad boy No. 3? I mean, it could it be Martin Lawrence, Will Smith and Kobe Bryant?.
BECKER: Well, no, I mean, the issue is, is he going to be convicted or not? If he's convicted, he's done marketing wise. If he's not convicted, some people will think that here's an innocent man wrongly accused. They'll like him more. Other people will say, well, you know, he got off because they couldn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, but the evidence tended to look like it was more likely that he had committed the crime.
So there will be all sorts of reactions. I think people like Nike, who have really sunk a lot of money into him, are going to have to be stuck with him. They'll lie low for a while, see what happens. And if he gets off, Boom, they'll start using him again.
The most interesting thing about Nutella, which Laura was talking about before was -- he was a unique person for Nutella, because remember, Kobe spent a major portion of his childhood in Italy, speaks Italian fluently. He arrived in this country with an Italian accent. There is no one who could do for Nutella what Kobe could do. And yet, they still decided they're not going to use him for the rest of the year. And by the way, it appears that the reason they didn't renew his contract for after January of next year is because they want to appeal to an older demographic. The reason they're not using him the rest of the year is because of the events in Colorado. And look, that turned out to be more important than speaking Italian.
PHILLIPS: Laura, quickly, we just have about 30 seconds here.
But now, in addition to the allegations, you've got these 911 calls that are being revealed, all right? Allegedly he tells police he made the call. They find out months before July 3, the day he's arrested, the other 911 call.
RIES: Yes. Someone goes to the hospital.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Is this getting a little crazy here?
RIES: This is bad news. This is very damaging.
BECKER: I don't agree with that.
RIES: I don't know. How can you -- the problem is there's no explanation. If Kobe can come out and release something that gives an explanation for these calls, that would be -- he might survive it. But the problem is there's no answer.
BECKER: The police have already said that this was a medical condition, had nothing to do with Kobe, that there was no violence.
RIES: So why doesn't he say that? Why doesn't he say what it is it?
BECKER: Well maybe he hasn't gotten around to it yet, and maybe he has something else about that's embarrassing, Maybe it's a personal problem of his wife that he doesn't want to go into or a personal problem with someone else. He's not obligated to tell us everything that goes on in his private life. He has all sorts of reasons. Maybe his lawyers have told him not to.
RIES: He's fight are for his life, though.
BECKER: But it's clear -- the police have said he did not commit a crime. One of the times he wasn't even home. There was no violence. It was a medical example.
This is a typical example of the press blowing something out of proportion because the press wants to have a new story every day and there isn't one.
RIES: The press does, and that's what he's got to face. He's got to face the reality that the press is going to blow everything little thing.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: You hear a 911 call, you have to wonder, you know? I mean, he's...
BECKER: But people get sick.
RIES: For most people, it's a serious thing and they want to know why and I'm sure if there's....
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Well, Rob, I got to agree. I think a lot of people are already sick of the story. Let's just find out what the decision is. We'll have you guys back; we'll discuss it again. Is that a deal?
RIES: I look forward to it.
PHILLIPS: Rob Becker, Laura Ries, always a pleasure. Thanks, guys.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
