[StanFanFam13]

Very tragic indeed, especially for the family members that are faced with the loss. Mom and three daughters, two older kids of the baseball coach's family.

Also interesting how much glowing press Kobe is receiving, yet nary a mention of his little "metoo" issue in the summer of 2003. Accused of sexually assaulting a 19 year old maid in a hotel, settled out of court. From wikipedia:

"When asked about bruises on the accuser's neck, Bryant admitted to "strangling" her during the encounter, stating that he held her "from the back" "around her neck", that strangling during sex was his "thing" and that he had a pattern of strangling a different sex partner (not his wife) during their recurring sexual encounters."

Not only did most journalists not mention it, but the WaPo suspended a journalist who tweeted about it:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/j...ngton-post

Also, Bob Costas got some grief for mentioning it:
https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/live/kob...00127.html

Mother Jones mentioned it:
https://www.motherjones.com/media/2020/0...ter-crash/

LA Times mentioned it:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/202...sault-case

NPR reported it:
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/26/799716293...pter-crash

NY Times reported it:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/sport...tuary.html

Thanks. Listened only to ESPN, CNN (Don Lemon), KCBS and KNBR. Busy day yesterday. Odd that the WAPO woman was suspended after she received thousands of vile posts and death threats.

My hope is that the WaPo suspension stems not from the reporter's raising of the complicated legacy of a man to whom many are paying uncomplicated, adulating tribute but from her decision to share an apparently unredacted screenshot of her inbox, publicizing the identity of folks sending her hate mail. https://www.vox.com/2020/1/27/21083682/k...st-twitter
Violating legal guidelines is cause for discipline; voicing inconvenient truths is not.

I fully understand why raising this aspect of Bryant's complicated legacy the day after his death (and the deaths of nine others), while loved ones are still grieving, may rub some folks the wrong way. However, it is also frustrating to hear the kind of lionization from every corner of the world for a man who has done real harm worthy of discussion. The announcers during yesterday's WBB game against Utah broke the news on-air and then went on to extol not only Bryant's basketball prowess but his off-the-court virtues, including championing women's basketball. While I understand that he has been supportive in various ways, this fact seemed to be offered as shorthand for what a great guy he is. Adding "he supports women," without caveat, to Bryant's list of virtues erases not only the very serious crime was accused of committing but also the ways in which his legal team (presumably with his go-ahead) aggressively attacked his accuser in a way that provided a blueprint for silencing victims of sexual assault in other high-profile cases.

[StanFanFam13]

Very tragic indeed, especially for the family members that are faced with the loss. Mom and three daughters, two older kids of the baseball coach's family.

Also interesting how much glowing press Kobe is receiving, yet nary a mention of his little "metoo" issue in the summer of 2003. Accused of sexually assaulting a 19 year old maid in a hotel, settled out of court. From wikipedia:

"When asked about bruises on the accuser's neck, Bryant admitted to "strangling" her during the encounter, stating that he held her "from the back" "around her neck", that strangling during sex was his "thing" and that he had a pattern of strangling a different sex partner (not his wife) during their recurring sexual encounters."

Not only did most journalists not mention it, but the WaPo suspended a journalist who tweeted about it:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/j...ngton-post

Also, Bob Costas got some grief for mentioning it:
https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/live/kob...00127.html

Mother Jones mentioned it:
https://www.motherjones.com/media/2020/0...ter-crash/

LA Times mentioned it:
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/202...sault-case

NPR reported it:
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/26/799716293...pter-crash

NY Times reported it:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/sport...tuary.html

Thanks. Listened only to ESPN, CNN (Don Lemon), KCBS and KNBR. Busy day yesterday. Odd that the WAPO woman was suspended after she received thousands of vile posts and death threats.

My hope is that the WaPo suspension stems not from the reporter's raising of the complicated legacy of a man to whom many are paying uncomplicated, adulating tribute but from her decision to share an apparently unredacted screenshot of her inbox, publicizing the identity of folks sending her hate mail. https://www.vox.com/2020/1/27/21083682/k...st-twitter
Violating legal guidelines is cause for discipline; voicing inconvenient truths is not.

I fully understand why raising this aspect of Bryant's complicated legacy the day after his death (and the deaths of nine others), while loved ones are still grieving, may rub some folks the wrong way. However, it is also frustrating to hear the kind of lionization from every corner of the world for a man who has done real harm worthy of discussion. The announcers during yesterday's WBB game against Utah broke the news on-air and then went on to extol not only Bryant's basketball prowess but his off-the-court virtues, including championing women's basketball. While I understand that he has been supportive in various ways, this fact seemed to be offered as shorthand for what a great guy he is. Adding "he supports women," without caveat, to Bryant's list of virtues erases not only the very serious crime was accused of committing but also the ways in which his legal team (presumably with his go-ahead) aggressively attacked his accuser in a way that provided a blueprint for silencing victims of sexual assault in other high-profile cases.