Kobe Bryant removed from his duties as an animation festival juror after protesting against earlier allegations: NPR

Kobe Bryant, winner of the Academy Award, was ruled out this weekend as a jury member of the Los Angeles Animation Is Film Festival, after negative reactions to sexual assault charges against him.

The former NBA-phenom won an Oscar earlier this year for his animated short film Dear BasketballBut under pressure from a group called Women and Allies, festival organizers announced Wednesday that Bryant would no longer participate in the second annual event.

"After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision was made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury," Eric Beckman, founder of the festival and CEO of GKIDS, told NPR in a statement.

"We are a young organization and it is important to focus our collective energy on participating films, filmmakers and festival-goers," he added.

A petition launched a week ago on Change.org on behalf of "women and allies from the world of animation" demanded "that the rapist and accused sexual predator, Kobe Bryant, be sacked."

"In light of the #MeToo movement, Kobe Bryant's sexual assault was virtually non-existent," he said. By including Bryant, the petition alleged that festival organizers would be complicit in "allowing a sexual predator to continue a life without any responsibility, either as an individual or as a celebrity … This is an urgent moment to say NO to toxic and violent behavior against women. "

The protestors also claimed that the basketball star's presence on the jury "sets a precedent of clemency for sex offenders and undermines the visibility and respect that victims of harassment and assault deserve".

Bryant was charged with raping an employee of a 19-year-old Colorado hotel in 2003. However, the criminal case against him ended abruptly in 2004, after the woman was arrested. decided not to participate in the trial. This forced the district attorney to drop the charges.

But before the case was dismissed, the Lakers star's defense team at the time launched an aggressive campaign to discredit the victim, notably by alleging that she was in danger. 39; was engaged in sexual activity with another partner immediately after having sex with Bryant.

A civil suit was eventually settled amicably in 2005, without Bryant's admission of guilt.

At the time, Bryant had issued a statement through his attorneys in which he stated: "Although I truly believe that this meeting between us was consensual, I now recognize that she did not Had not seen and did not see this incident in the same way as me … … After months of reviewing the discovery, listening to her lawyer and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that She did not consent to this meeting. "

On Wednesday, Bryant responded to the GKIDS decision in a statement to The Washington Post, stating, "This decision further motivates me, as well as my commitment, to build a studio focused on diversity and narrative consideration in the animation industry." I remain committed to change the world in a positive way, through various stories, characters and inspire the next generation ".

Earlier this month, ESPN announced that it would team up with Bryant Corporation, Granity Studios, to produce a second season of Detail.