Fall From Grace

Almost 18 months ago, I wrote my first published editorial at my undergraduate University. In that editorial, I discussed the proliferation of young boys and girls turning into professional athletes without getting a college education. During the article, I remember praising a young man for his squeaky clean image and for how he had conducted himself underneath such a heavy public microscope. Boy how things have changed.

The very same week that my editorial was published, Kobe Bryant was being accused of sexual assault in the 1st degree. I remember thinking how ironic it was that I had just got through applauding Kobe, "then this happens."

Though not a Lakers fan at all (I've hated them vehemently since the mid-80's as I am a die-hard Pistons fan), I was always impressed at how Kobe had an apparent desire to do things his way, but to do them the right way.

He went to the NBA fresh out of high school because he felt he could play at that level and handle himself as an adult. Three NBA championships later, he had proven that he could.

When it came to love, he married a young lady despite the disapproval of his family and even refused to sign a pre-nuptial agreement. Why? Because he never intended to get divorced and because he had to live with his feelings, not his parents or family. Both very tough decisions to arrive at, but indeed commendable.

When it came to his personal life, he pretty much stayed out of the public eye. It is significant that he never brandished a criminal record, which is increasingly becoming a commonality among many of today's athletes, both young and old.

Finally, he had a work ethic in the NBA off-season that many of today's players don't have at all, despite their many endorsements. Each year he came back in better physical shape, and with stronger skills on the court than the previous season.

Stand-up guy!... And then we got to know him.

I remember, in the early days after the allegations came out, how most of the news media was reluctant to publicly "convict" Kobe. I was actually quite happy about this because it said to me that reputation does mean something. His clean background actually came up to bat for him. Had it been Allen Iverson, who has had numerous run-ins with the law, I doubt the media would've been so immediately forgiving.

Well, it turned out that Kobe had cheated on the wife, that he loved so much, with a random hotel desk clerk. To police officers, he admitted to cheating on his wife with at least one other woman previously. Despite the fact that he claimed he didn't rape the woman, his image was already tarnished.

The media still handled Kobe delicately, and it became quite the spectacle to see him in court in the morning handling the allegations, and then on the court at night winning games for the Lakers.

The criminal case was thrown out when the young lady decided not to go further with it. And though there is still a civil case pending, most people seem to have forgotten about Kobe's "sex scandal." The buzz turned again to Kobe's relationship with his team, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Annually, Kobe seemed to be at odds with his teammate Shaquille O'Neal. Miraculously, probably due to the coaching of Phil Jackson, the Lakers seemed to overcome this childish squabble and pull together for another championship. So it seemed was their destiny for the 2003-04 season.

Well, on June 15th, 2004, the Detroit Pistons put a halt to the Lakers championship train in a shocking "5-game sweep." Shortly thereafter, the conductor of that train, Phil Jackson, bailed out, eventually taking Shaquille O'Neal with him. Both cited Kobe as the reason for their departure.

Now Kobe apparently has beef with Karl Malone, the man who had defended him throughout the course of his personal struggles. He claims that "the mailman" delivered a very rude gesture to his wife, Vanessa Bryant. Somehow the whole matter got into the public, and now Kobe is a worse looking sports figure than even Barry Bonds, who has come under much fire over steroid use.

Last night I saw Kobe do the most noble thing he could possibly do in the midst of the many mistakes he's made. He made the rounds on a number of sports shows, answered numerous tough questions, and made it publicly known that he wanted to clear the air with his former teammate Shaquille O'Neal.

Despite that, Kobe still has many miles to travel down the road of reconciliation before the public can once again respect him. Hopefully he can follow in the footsteps of football great Jim Brown, boxing legend Muhammad Ali and even Michael Jordan; each of whom have had their significantly negative moments in the public eye (for domestic violence, infidelity and gambling, respectively).

It's still funny for me to think about how respected Kobe was just two short years ago, and to look at him now. I do hope that he can get back on track, and that he can straighten out both his personal life, and the image that he portrays to the public. As of last night, I believe he started out with big steps on the road to redemption, I just hope he continues until he passes through the desert of public forgiveness.

-Maelstrom