"""""""Kobe Bryant Tells Paper He's Innocent"""""""

LOS ANGELES - Speaking publicly for the first time since he was accused of sexual assault, Kobe Bryant (news) denied the allegations and said he "would never do something like that."
MUG SHOT from arrest

"When everything comes clean, it will all be fine, you'll see," Bryant, 24, told the Los Angeles Times in a story published Sunday.

The five-time NBA All-Star would not discuss details of the case, the newspaper said.

"I shouldn't have to say anything. You know I would never do something like that," the Los Angeles Lakers (news) star said in the brief telephone interview.

Bryant is accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, Colo., on June 30. All records in the case have been sealed.

Bryant, who was in Colorado for knee surgery at a Vail clinic, surrendered to authorities on July 4 and was released after posting a $25,000 bond. Prosecutors have said they expect to decide this week whether to file charges against Bryant.

Bryant's attorneys have previously said he is innocent and expects to be exonerated.
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WHY IS HE FAMOUS?    

He is one the NBA's biggest talents. He is a guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and helped them win the 2000 NBA Championship. He is also the youngest player ever in the NBA, and caused a stir when he chose not to go to college to become a pro.

Kobe Bryant is the kind of young athlete that everyone knew was going to be a superstar one day. And if you had any doubts, Kobe sure didn't. He had his destiny to stardom planned out a long time ago.

For a while, the Los Angeles Laker seemed to be another draft bust, after causing a storm of controversy when he chose to forgo college to turn pro. He was then drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets who then shipped him to Los Angeles for Vlade Divac, where the Kobe hype and expectation levels only rose more.

Kobe handled it all in stride, showing only the occasional lack of maturity, a considerable feat since he was the youngest player ever in the NBA. After coming into his own, he, alongside Shaquille O'Neal(whom he has a long standing feud with) helped guide the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA championship in 2000.
After only 5 years in the league, he is a seasoned veteran, and likely to win a scoring title very soon. The label of him being the next Michael Jordanhas been passed onto Vince Carter, but the comparisons are unlikely to stop. Kobe Bryant (already an All-Star game regular) surely doesn't mind because he's being compared to the best.

I was told by someone close to the situation that he WILL face charges-probably 1st degree SA, but I'm not so sure of anything anymore.....this has already turned into a local political pissing match (with the DA now being called a "Pussy").

Show-cause inquiry ruffles feathers
Vail Daily-Cliff Thompson

In the maelstrom following basketball star Kobe Bryant's arrest, an inquiry about securing county legal services to represent the Eagle County sheriff in a show-cause hearing versus the district attorney has added a little more fuel to the mix.

It also has county officials scrambling to distance themselves from the issue.

Bryant was arrested July 4, on suspicion of sexual assault of a 19-year-old employee of the Lodge at Cordillera. That arrest sparked controversy both because of its celebrity status and its process. Sheriff Joe Hoy bypassed District Attorney Mark Hurlbert and instead had a Clear Creek County judge review the evidence prior to the arrest. That judge subsequently sealed records to "protect the rights of the accused."

Hurlbert has held off on whether to file charges, pending receipt of physical evidence analysis, including DNA samples, from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. He said he expects to receive the analysis this coming week.

Relations between the departments have been strained in the last year with heavy turnover in the District Attorney's Office, which has hampered some court cases. Sheriff's officers have been overheard describing the DA as a "pussy."

Relations were further strained when Bryant was arrested without the knowledge of the district attorney, who had assured Bryant's lawyers that no action would be taken until after the Fourth of July weekend.

Both Hurlbert and Hoy are new at their jobs. Hoy was elected sheriff in November, and Hurlbert was appointed in December by the governor.

The latest inquiry into legal services - viewed in some circles as yet another attempt to end-run the district attorney - was made Wednesday by a member of the Sheriff's Office.

Hoy hotly denied that the inquiry ever happened.

"No one from my office made an inquiry to request a show-cause hearing," he said. "I did not authorize it. We didn't even think of it."

Some observers close to the case said they believe the inquiry may have been made without Hoy's knowledge.

But County Administrator Jack Ingstad acknowledged that Thursday the county recommended the Sheriff's Office use the Denver law firm of Hall & Evans, which the county has used for special circumstances in the past. That keeps the county out of a minefield of conflicts between two departments it supports financially.

"We wanted to stay neutral in case there is a disagreement between the DA and sheriff on how to proceed (with the Bryant case)," said Ingstad. "We fund both the sheriff and the DA."

"I won't deny it (the inquiry) happened," said one county official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We support both offices, and we're not going to take sides. We're not getting involved in any battle, and we're not taking sides."

News of the inquiry blindsided Hurlbert, who is awaiting the physical evidence test results before deciding on what if any charges to file against Bryant.

A show-cause hearing is a request for legal justification for a course of action. What it could be used for in the Bryant case is speculative because to date no such order has been requested. It has reached only the inquiry stage.

Hoy's office also has been using the law firm for advice on how to handle some of the other legal questions in the case, such as when and if to release the booking mug shot of Bryant, which the Sheriff's Office released Friday afternoon.

In the blizzard of stories that followed Bryant's arrest, the DA and sheriff have been bruised in the court of public opinion.

Hoy seemed to extend a public olive branch to the district attorney.

"The DA is in the middle of a firestorm; he's getting a lot of heat," Hoy said. "People need to back off on him so he can do his job right."

Of course, the most pressure on the District Attorney's Office came from the sheriff's decision to arrest Bryant without informing the district attorney and before Hurlbert had begun examining the case to determine whether charges were merited.

Hulbert is a pussy, he did nothing when Pat Roy put a beating on his wife.

Bird, all Roy did was get pissed off & tear an interior door off it's hinges.....and I'd probably do the same if I was just told that my mother in law was coming to stay with me for a week!

LOL, I agree with you, TTinCO. Actually, Roy only gets charged because he is a celebrity...the average guy probably doesn't get charged in that case.

There is no way in hell that Kobe is guily. I know plenty of people in LA who know him well and he doesn't even drink. He never goes out with the team on road trips. This story is a total joke. This slimy chick should have picked someone else to try this scam on.

Why were people in neighboring rooms calling security over the disturbance???????

Oh, not Kobe, it couldn't be Kobe...blah, blah, blah.

He was flirting with her on his way into the hotel & then this.

The victim is a college student and sings in the choir, Kobe has suckered punch Reggie Miller, Samaki Walker, and an intetional elbow to Mike bibby throat. Kobe is the scumbag, and he will be going to prison for this, I am looking forward to having Nancy Grace exploit this scumbag on a daily basis.

That little puke is guilty as HELL......... Just another rich athlete who thinks he is above the law............ I hope he gets his sh#t pushed in by his "ROOMMATE" every nite................. DARKLORD