Maybe the most powerful moment of the Oscar's Sunday was when three of Harvey Weinstein's most prominent accusers –– actresses Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek and Annabella Sciorra –– took the stage and introduced a video clip about the impact of the Time's Up movement. In it, several stars, including Mira Sorvino, another Weinstein accuser, talked about the changing culture in Hollywood and "every walk of life." The message was clear: men are finally beginning to be held accountable for their gross sexual misconduct.
Earlier in the evening, that same stage also played host to Kobe Bryant. The NBA great has taken up filmmaking, and won an Oscar for his animated short film, "Dear Basketball," which is based on a poem he penned in 2015 announcing his retirement from basketball.
Bryant, per usual, was eloquent and charming in his brief acceptance speech. "I don't know if it's possible," he said. "I mean, as basketball players, we are really supposed to shut up and dribble. But I am glad we do a little bit more than that."
He went on to thank his wife, Vanessa, and three daughters.
Kobe Bryant accepts #Oscar for Best Animated Short: "As basketball players, we're really supposed to shut up and dribble. But I'm glad we do a little bit more than that." https://t.co/lJd891ISOk #Oscars pic.twitter.com/5dLQ6CwRlB
— ABC News (@ABC) March 5, 2018The juxtaposition of Bryant being honored on a night centered around the impact of the "Me Too" phenomenon was difficult to ignore. Even in these times of heightened awareness, it shows that men still escape paying a price for alleged criminal sexual behavior.
In 2003, a woman accused Bryant of raping her in his Colorado hotel room. The woman, who was 19 at the time, showed Bryant to his room at the luxury property. He asked her to come back later, and she obliged. Roughly five minutes after her second visit, she left the room trembling and crying, according to police records. Blood was also found on her underwear and Bryant's shirt.
On July 2, two days after the encounter, the woman and Bryant were taken to a hospital for examinations. Doctors found a small bruise on her neck and tears on her vaginal wall. Charges were filed against Bryant on July 18.
The case quickly devolved into a sordid example of victim-shaming. As ThinkProgress' Lindsay Gibbs recounts, Bryant's attorney, Pamela Mackey, wasted little time smearing the accuser.
"Not only did Mackey use the alleged victim's name a staggering six times during the hearing, but when she was presented with the woman's vaginal injuries, Mackey used the victim's sexual history against her," Gibbs writes. "The high-powered lawyer brought the hearing to a screeching halt, asking, 'Could it be that (the alleged victim's) injuries were caused by having sex with three men in three days?'"
It didn't take long for the woman's past, including her active sexual history and previous suicide attempts, to be vetted in the public sphere. Unsurprisingly, after these vicious attacks on her character, the alleged victim stopped cooperating days before the trial was set to begin. Charges were dropped.
Bryant and the accuser eventually settled a civil suit. As part of the settlement, the NBA star issued a public apology.
Kobe Bryant's apology to the woman who accused him of rape. pic.twitter.com/ezsctMGm4N
— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) March 5, 2018Bryant, who lost endorsement deals with McDonald's and Nutella, saw his image rebound in little time. He retired with a record $680 million in career earnings, according to Forbes.
Today, the only tangible link to the case is the $4 million apology ring that Bryant purchased for his wife. The episode is buried deep in Bryant's biography, well below the five championships and on-court excellence.
This isn't to say Bryant shouldn't have been allowed to move forward. There have been no accusations of sexual assault against him since. Maybe he has improved his behavior.
But it was jarring to see Bryant on stage Sunday, as if nothing had ever occurred. Timing plays a big role in this. If the incident happened today, Bryant almost certainly would not have been invited. His reputation would likely be forever stained.
Then again, Ryan Seacrest conducted interviews on the red carpet Sunday, while ignoring sexual harassment allegations of his own. And Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose and the bevy of other alleged serial sexual assaulters who have been exposed in recent months still haven't faced legal justice. Weinstein, who's the target of multiple criminal investigations in multiple continents, has been living out his life in the luxury resort town of Scottsdale, Ariz.
The "Me Too" movement has profoundly changed society. But Bryant's Oscar moment shows how slowly that change actually comes, even when it appears to be taking place rapidly.
