DENVER, 10 October 2004 — The woman who accused basketball star Kobe Bryant of rape apologized to police at one stage for providing confusing information, according to court documents released on Friday.
“I am extremely disappointed in myself and also very sorry to anyone who was misled by my mix-up of information,” the Colorado woman wrote to police last July, 13 months after she said she was raped on June 30, 2003 at a Vail-area resort. “I wanted to come forward and inform you of a few things that have been weighing heavily on my conscience,” said the opening line of the letter, which was among the documents released by the district attorney’s office in Eagle, Colorado.
“In reporting this crime one of my fears was that I would not be believed,” she wrote.
The criminal case against the 26-year-old Bryant was dismissed last month after the woman, now 20, decided she did not want to proceed. Defense attorneys had attacked the woman’s credibility and stability throughout pretrial hearings.
The woman, who is now suing the Los Angeles Laker in civil court for monetary damages, said in the letter that in her initial statements to police she had left out details about what happened in Bryant’s hotel room at the spa where she worked.
Whalen Leads Sun to Victory in Game 1
In Uncasville, Conn., Lindsay Whalen made the most of the biggest game of her professional career. The rookie guard led the Connecticut Sun to a 68-64 victory over the Seattle Storm on Friday night in the opening game of the WNBA finals. She set a team playoff mark with nine assists and had 11 points, two steals and two blocked shots. Whalen also helped shut down Storm star Sue Bird, who finished with six turnovers and had 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting. Bird and the Storm were stymied all night by Whalen and the Sun defense.
Much of the 9,341 fans in the sellout crowd had watched Bird star at UConn, where she won two NCAA titles. She drew a deafening roar during introductions, but after the opening tip, the Sun took her out of her comfort zone.
Whalen, who led Minnesota to its first Final Four appearance last season, kept the Sun’s transition game in high gear. She also set the tone for the solid defense which kept Lauren Jackson, the league’s leading scorer, in check for most of the night.
Rodman Seeks to Woo NBA in Mexico Games
In Monterrey, Mexico, retired basketball great Dennis Rodman said on Friday he planned to use two games with a Mexican club side to persuade top NBA teams he is fit to return to playing at the highest level.
The former Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls star arrived in the city of Monterrey in northern Mexico on Friday, where he is contracted to play two matches with local side Fuerza Regia over the weekend. Rodman, 43, bowed out of top-flight basketball in 2000 after being released by the Dallas Mavericks. He began a slow-burn campaign to return to be a professional last year. “Hopefully, my playing two games here in Monterrey will give me a chance to get back in there and get a shot at the NBA,” Rodman told a news conference.
