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It looks as if Kobe Bryant‘s 2003 rape allegations are still haunting him. Originally scheduled as part of the jury for the Animation Is Film Festival announced the former NBA superstar would be removed from this year’s class. Chief executive officer Eric Beckman of GKIDS, the company that organizes the Animation Is Film Festival had this to say, “After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury. We are a young organization and it is important to keep our collective energies focused on the films, the participating filmmakers, and our festival attendees.”
The Oscar award winner (yes you read that right, get caught up here) was the first Black person to win in the Animated Film (Short) for his film Dear Basketball, also making him the first athlete to win an Oscar.
However, Bryant’s win was met with backlash. In light of the #MeToo movement, viewers were upset that the former NBA player was even nominated being that he was accused of sexual assault in 2003, according to Daily Beast. Roxane Gay, the Black Panther comic series writer, was one of many people who were not happy about this win.
According to ESPN, “In 2003, Bryant was charged with raping a 19-year-old hotel employee. The Lakers star said he believed it was a consensual sexual encounter. The case was dropped after Bryant’s accuser refused to testify. She later filed a civil suit against him, which was settled out of court with Bryant admitting no guilt.”
I mean who can ever forget this?
TELL US: Fair or foul?
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