‘I’m Innocent’

With tears in his eyes, a quiver in his voice but resolution in his face and his wife, Vanessa, at his side, Kobe Bryant, in an emotional Friday evening news conference at Staples Center, conceded he was guilty of adultery, but he declared he was innocent of charges of felonious sexual assault.

Bryant, the Lakers’ superstar guard, was charged earlier Friday in Colorado’s Eagle County with assaulting a 19-year-old woman on June 30, an offense that could lead to a prison term of four years to life.

“I didn’t force her to do anything against her will,” Bryant said of the alleged victim. “I’m innocent. You know, I sit here in front of you guys, furious at myself, disgusted at myself for making the mistake of adultery.”

Bryant turned to his wife, who was tightly clasping his right hand in both of her hands, and told her, “You’re a blessing. You’re a piece of my heart. You’re the air I breathe. You’re the strongest person I know and I’m so sorry for having to put you through this, and having to put our family through this.”

Speaking in front of a standing-room-only media crowd in the Chick Hearn Press Room and a row of cameras stretching almost from wall to wall, Bryant spoke without the benefit of notes, pausing at times when his eyes watered.

Although she did not speak at the news conference, Vanessa issued a statement earlier in the day that read, in part, “I know that my husband has made a mistake -- the mistake of adultery. He and I will have to deal with that within our marriage, and we will do so. He is not a criminal.... I will stand by him and we will face this together. I will give him all the strength and support he needs to face these false accusations. I will not let him face these accusations alone.”

A day earlier, the Lakers had held another news conference in that same building but at the other end of the emotional spectrum. On Thursday, they introduced their two newest members, forward Karl Malone and guard Gary Payton, who they hope will, along with Bryant and center Shaquille O’Neal, form the dream team that will again make the Lakers a championship club.

NBA officials said Friday that Bryant will not be prevented from playing while the case unfolds.

“Yes, he will be allowed to play while proceedings are going on,” said Brian McIntyre, the league’s senior vice president for basketball communications.

“As with all allegations of a criminal nature,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern in a statement, “the NBA’s policy is to await the outcome of a judicial proceeding before taking any action. We do not anticipate making further comments during the pendency of the judicial process.”

Two of Bryant’s attorneys at Friday’s news conference, Pamela Mackey and Hal Haddon, estimated that the trial could take a minimum of four to six months. They pledged not to prolong the legal process any more than necessary.

“[Bryant] is falsely accused of an extremely serious crime, a crime which carries with it the potential of a life sentence,” said Mackey. “No prosecutor should file charges unless the evidence is so strong that it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The evidence in this case falls far, far short of that standard.”

Mackey also criticized Eagle County Sheriff Joseph Hoy.

“The sheriff of Eagle County and certain of his deputies insist on making public and inappropriate statements,” Mackey said, “statements that are endangering our ability to select a fair and impartial jury. It must stop. If it doesn’t, we will ask the court to enter an order stopping these inappropriate comments.”

There were no Laker officials on the dais Friday, but General Manager Mitch Kupchak said in a statement: “Naturally, we are disappointed with today’s announcement [that charges were filed]. While there are many questions concerning this issue, we will wait for time and the judicial process to answer them.

“In the meantime, we will continue to offer our support to Kobe and his family.”

Not since Magic Johnson announced nearly a dozen years ago at the Great Western Forum that he was retiring from basketball because he had contracted the HIV virus had there been such an emotional Laker news conference.

“I’m a human being,” Bryant said. “I’m a man just like everybody else. I mourn. I cry just like anybody else. And I sit here before you guys, embarrassed and ashamed for committing adultery.”

Toward the end of his remarks, his remorse turned to resolve.

“My wife and I and my family,” he said, “we are going to fight these false accusations. We have a lot at stake. I have a lot at stake and it has nothing to do with the game of basketball. It has nothing to do with endorsements. Nothing at all. This is about us. This is about our family.... Shoulder to shoulder, we are going to fight this all the way to the end.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Accused

*--* Some athletes charged in recent years with assault or rape: KIRBY PUCKETT * The former Minnesota Twin star was acquitted by a jury in April of false imprisonment, fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, and fifth-degree assault. A woman had accused him of dragging her into the men’s room of a restaurant, forcing her into a stall and grabbing her breast hard enough to leave a bruise MARK CHMURA * Green Bay Packer tight end, who was acquitted of second-degree sexual assault in 2001. A 17-year-old girl accused him of assaulting her in a bathroom during a post-prom party in 2000 in Waukesha, Wis MIKE TYSON * The heavyweight champion served more than three years in an Indiana prison after being convicted in 1992 of rape and other charges. But prosecutors declined to file rape charges against him in August 2001 after a woman said she was sexually assaulted by the boxer in Southern California

*--*