|
CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK
Coffey Talk: Kobe Bryant Case
Aired August 6, 2003 - 06:49 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: NBA star Kobe Bryant heading into the media spotlight once again today. He's got a 6:00 p.m. Eastern court appearance in Eagle, Colorado to hear that sexual assault charge against him. Hearing is expected to take about 10 minutes. He will not enter a plea.
But what more can we expect? For more on that, let's head live to Miami and Kendall Coffey.
Good morning -- Kendall.
KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning -- Carol.
COSTELLO: So everybody's asking the question, who will be with him? Will the beautiful wife and will they be wearing the matching wristbands that say "I love you" and will she be wearing her big ring? Will she be in the courtroom with Kobe today?
COFFEY: Well she ought to leave the ring back in home. That's a $4 million ring, probably twice the entire budget of the prosecuting authority. But I have the feeling that she'll be along with him. It's been a very compelling image so far.
And this hearing today is not going to be about much more than image. Even though the public interest is Rocky Mountain high, from a legal standpoint, this is microscopic, its pro forma and there will be a lot more interest in what people are actually watching than anything that is heard in the courtroom.
COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about image for just a second, the Teen Choice Awards. The teens have voted Kobe as their favorite athlete. And during the ceremony, he invoked Martin Luther King. Was that orchestrated?
COFFEY: Well, it's something that I think from his image standpoint nationally is probably a positive, but the Teen Choice voters are not going to be on the perspective jury in Eagle County. And so one of the questions you've got to wonder about is he focusing more on his public image or is he focusing on what it's going to take to win this trial?
COSTELLO: Well I guess I was wondering it -- wondering about it from a race standpoint. The alleged victim is white. He is black. By invoking Martin Luther King, did he bring race into this case?
COFFEY: Well you hope not, because I think what this case is going to be decided on is going to be whether or not Kobe Bryant can, in some fashion, let's be real blunt about it, discredit the alleged victim either in terms of her credibility or some other issues that might, based on some of the things we've been hearing about in the media, be allowed or might not be allowed in front of the jury. I don't think this is going to be decided as a race based case because Kobe Bryant is larger than that. He is a national celebrity, a sports hero.
COSTELLO: OK. The D.A.'s office in Colorado getting death threats, potential witnesses getting threats, the media is not exactly behaving. Will this be worse than O.J.?
COFFEY: Well it's not going to be O.J. in the sense that the crime itself is horrible, as it is, isn't a brutal murder. In fact, the real question here is was there a crime or was this in fact an event that was consented to? But from a media standpoint, let's face it, he is a huge star. This case has all the elements that are fascinating to people. And in some ways, it's a close case. The public still has its mind open. So in terms of the media aspect, it's going to be a lot of resemblances to O.J. In terms of the actual evidence in the trial, very different case.
COSTELLO: You think the public's mind is still open? I mean Bryant's attorneys have now filed papers accusing law enforcement authorities in Colorado with leaking information. Is there any way to shore that up?
COFFEY: There's almost nothing you can do to completely stop leaks. I think, if anything, and the defense has got to know that, if anything, they're looking to do a couple of things. One is they want to slow it down. And two, Carol, consider this, they want to do what they can to blame the state for adverse pretrial publicity. Why, because one of the most critical things a defense would like to do if they possibly can is get this case out of Eagle County, Colorado. And to the extent that they can attribute adverse pretrial publicity to the state authorities, the local authorities, that may help their case for getting the case transferred.
COSTELLO: All right. Kendall Coffey, live from Miami, thanks for your insight this morning. We appreciate it.
Once again that hearing in Eagle, Colorado takes place at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. CNN, of course, will have extensive live coverage for you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
|
