Letters to the Editor: Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault charge wasn’t just another obstacle he overcame

To the editor: The helicopter crash that killed former Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was a tragedy for his family and those of the other passengers. But it was jarring to see the pages of hagiography in the Los Angeles Times treat the 2003 sexual assault accusation as just a bump on his road to greatness, like his Achilles tendon injury or his difficulties with teammate Shaquille O’Neal.

Injuries and personal squabbles are things he overcame through the sheer force of his work ethic and will to succeed. But in 2003 and 2004, the L.A. Times and other media abetted his defense team’s attack on his accuser’s credibility, dragging into public details of her sexual history and battle with depression.

Regardless of the ultimate truth, it’s hard to imagine that being tolerated in #MeToo era.

Dennis Hathaway, Venice

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To the editor: I feel badly for the deaths in the helicopter crash in Calabasas. Young people had their lives cut short.

As for Bryant, he redeemed himself as a better person later in his career, but we should always remember that he was credibly accused of sexual assault.

Manuel Reynosa, Ventura