As Kobe Bryant’s life and career is celebrated and discussed the wake of his tragic passing, some critics are reminding fans about a not-so-heroic moment in the NBA icon’s life: the rape accusation from 2003.
Evan Rachel Wood led the choir on Twitter this week, writing:
“What has happened is tragic. I am heartbroken for Kobe’s family. He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously.”
The tweet has since been deleted, but not before social media could explode with dismay. Several users pointed out the hypocrisy in the Westworld star’s post by sending her photos of herself and accused pedophile Woody Allen, who she worked alongside for the 2009 film Whatever Works.
Related: LeBron James Vows To Continue Kobe’s Legacy
Even some of ERW’s Hollywood peers responded with rage. Actress Kyla Pratt called her out, tweeting:
“Evan. We met as kids & I grew up in the same industry has you and have admired your work from afar these past few years. On camera and off. But this tweet? How f**king dare you?”
The Frozen 2 actress isn’t the only critic under fire for bringing up Kobe’s biggest controversy. A reporter at The Washington Post was reportedly put on administrative leave by the paper after she sparked outrage for tweeting a link to an old story about the years-old rape allegation.
Mere hours after the sports icon, his teen daughter Gianna, and several others died in the helicopter crash on Sunday, political reporter Felicia Sonmez tweeted the link with the following headline from 2016:
“Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession”
Apparently, the reporter got flooded with negative — and threatening — comments in response, as she wrote in a follow-up tweet shortly after:
‘Well, THAT was eye-opening. To the 10,000 people (literally) who have commented and emailed me with abuse and death threats, please take a moment and read the story – which was written 3+ years ago, and not by me. Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality even if that public figure is beloved and that totality unsettling.”
Kobe fans exploded with so much outrage, the hashtag #FireFeliciaSonmez was trending soon after. The Post responded to the drama by placing Sonmez on administrative leave while the company reviews whether or not the inciting tweet violated the newsroom’s social media policy.
Meanwhile, Sonmez’s fellow reporters are rallying behind her. In a letter to their bosses, the Washington Post Newspaper Guild said the company should issue a statement condemning the abuse of its reporters, allow Sonmez to return to work, and provide her with “any resources she may request as she navigates this traumatic experience.”
What do U think about this, Perezious readers?
[Image via WENN]
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