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Image via Getty / Frederic J. Brown / AFP
Vanessa Bryant took to Instagram on Saturday to defend her late husband against the rape allegations.
The 38-year-old mother shared a screenshot of an old tweet from Evan Rachel Wood, who expressed condolences to Kobe Bryant’s family just hours after he and his daughter, Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash. Although the actress recognized Kobe Bryant as a “sports hero,” she also described him as a “rapist” – an apparent reference to his 2003 sexual assault case which was ultimately dismissed.
“What happened was tragic. I’m heartbroken for Kobe’s family, “Wood wrote in the Jan 26, 2020 tweet.” He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously. “
Wood received a widespread reaction to the post and deleted it shortly after. She went on to share another post that dealt with the tragedy without any mention of the rape case.
“What happened is tragic. Beloved, this was not a condemnation or a celebration, ”read the following tweet. “It was a reminder that everyone will have different feelings and that there is room for all of us to cry together instead of fighting. Everyone lost. Everyone will be triggered, so show kindness and respect to everyone. “
Vanessa Bryant told her followers that it was only recently that she became aware of Wood’s “rapist” tweet. She also sent a strongly worded message to the Westworld the actress, telling her how dangerous these types of accusations can be.
“Your bogus, callous, defamatory and slanderous tweet on 1/26/20 is vile and disturbing to say the least,” she wrote. “Behavior like this is part of the reason innocent black men go to jail for crimes they did not commit. An accusation does not make someone guilty. You don’t know the facts of the case.
Producer Abigail Disney made a similar claim against Kobe Bryant just days after his death.
“I haven’t said anything about Kobe so far because I felt it took a little while to weigh in. But yes, it’s time for the hammer to come out. This man was a rapist. Do with it. “
Vanessa Bryant responded to Disney’s tweet with a message almost identical to the one she sent Wood.
Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault in 2003 when a then 19-year-old woman claimed to rape her in a Colorado hotel room in July of that year. Bryant, who was 24 at the time, admitted to having sex with the woman, but argued it was consensual. The criminal case was dropped in 2004 after the accuser refused to testify.
“… I don’t question the motivations of this young woman. No money was paid to this woman, ”Kobe Bryant said in a statement the day the case was closed. “She agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case. While I truly believe that this meeting between us was consensual, I now recognize that she did not and does not see this incident the same way I did. 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.
In August 2004, the accuser filed a civil action against Kobe Bryant in connection with the alleged 2003 incident. The parties settled out of court in 2005.
Earlier this week, Vanessa Bryant slammed Meek Mill for words referring to the 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband, daughter and seven others.
“Yeah, and if I ever miss, I go out with my helicopter, it’s gonna be another Kobe,” Meek raps in a previously unreleased track with Lil Baby.
Vanessa Bryant called the line “extremely callous and disrespectful.”
“I don’t know any of your music, but I think you can do better than that,” she wrote on Instagram. “If you’re a fan, fine, there’s a better way to show your admiration for my husband. It lacks respect and tact.
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