I am innocent...

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Kobe Bryant, with his wife, Vanessa, speaks Friday after being charged with sexual assualt. He denied the accusation.

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Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant is seen in this July 4, 2003, Eagle County Sheriff's Department booking mug in Eagle, Colorado.

Bryant appears in court on assault charge. Preliminary hearing set for October 9

The Kobe Bryant Case

Carla Wohl reporting

Last Updated: July 21, 2003

New allegations Monday surrounding the woman accusing Lakers star Kobe Bryant of rape. Her credibility is being questioned because of an incident when she over-dosed on pills.

The buzz is all about Kobe Bryant on TV: and, online at freekobe.com Los Angeles fans can buy t-shirts supporting the basketball star. But in the small town of Eagle Colorado where Bryant was charged with rape the story is getting a different spin.

Right now the case against Bryant is being waged in the court of public opinion. And the victim's credibility may have taken a hit. The Orange County register quotes her friends who say, two months before the alleged rape, the young woman overdosed on prescription medication.

They say she was upset that her high school sweetheart was dating another woman and that a close friend had died in a car accident. District Attorney Mark Hurlburt refused to comment on the report but said "as far as the victim in this case she's a strong girl and I have confidence in her."

The DA says he has good physical evidence to back up her claim but even then, experts say rape is a tough crime to prove.

Chronology of Events in Kobe Bryant Case

Fri Jul 18,10:15 PM ET

By The Associated Press

Events in the investigation of sexual assault allegations against Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant:

_June 30: Bryant arrives at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera near Edwards, Colo., after 10 p.m., ahead of knee surgery at Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail.

_July 1: A 19-year-old front desk employee tells Eagle County Sheriff's Department that Bryant sexually assaulted her. Bryant has surgery at Steadman Hawkins.

_July 2: Sheriff's deputies take Bryant to a hospital for undisclosed tests.

_July 4: Sheriff Joe Hoy issues an arrest warrant for Bryant, who has returned to California. Bryant flies back to Eagle County, surrenders and is released after posting $25,000 bond.

_July 6: Bryant's arrest is made public. Hoy refuses to release booking photo.

_July 7: District Attorney Mark Hurlbert says it might take several days before he decides whether to file charges.

_July 11: Under media pressure, Hoy releases booking photo.

_July 17: Vail Daily asks judge to order Eagle police to release two reports relating to the alleged victim from a month before the alleged assault.

_July 18: Hurlbert files a single count of felony sexual assault against Bryant. Bryant releases a statement, saying "I made the mistake of adultery" but "I am innocent of the charges filed today."

D.A. Files Felony Sexual Assault Charge Against Kobe Bryant

By Lance Pugmire, Steve Henson and Marisa Lagos

Kobe Bryant was charged today with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman who worked at the Colorado resort where he was staying last month.

Bryant denied the charge, fighting back tears at a Staples Center news conference in downtown Los Angeles and saying he was guilty only of adultery.

"I didn't force her to do anything against her will. I'm innocent," he said, sitting next to his wife, Vanessa. "I sit here in front of you guys furious at myself, disgusted at myself for making a mistake of adultery."

After a two-week investigation, Dist. Atty. Mark Hurlbert said at a 2 p.m. news conference that Bryant is being charged with one count of sexual assault, a Class 3 felony.

Bryant appears in court on assault charge. Preliminary hearing set for October 9

The Kobe Bryant Case

Carla Wohl reporting

Last Updated: July 21, 2003

Judge OKs testimony on woman's sex history