Basketball
Sombre-looking NBA superstar Kobe Bryant on Wednesday held court at his first media-frenzied appearance before a judge on charges that he raped a 19-year-old woman at a luxury resort.
Bryant, 24, dressed in a pale cream-coloured summer suit and white shirt, turned up at court in this secluded Rocky Mountain hamlet without his wife Vanessa, who has vowed to stand by her husband through the ordeal.
After being whisked into town by private jet for a hearing lasting less than 10 minutes, the Los Angeles Lakers guard uttered only two words to indicate he had understood legal documents.
But the hoopla set off by his appearance had been building all day, with a makeshift media city here swelling, as fans wearing Lakers jerseys screamed for their hero and tourists flocked into the town of 3,500 for the show.
"This is a very fast event for so much attention," Judge Frederick Gannett said as more than 30 television stations camped outside the courtroom beamed the proceedings live around the world.
Through attorney Pamela Mackey, Bryant -- one of the biggest and wealthiest US sports stars -waived his right to hear the single charge of felony sexual assault read to him in court and was not asked to plead. The alleged victim was not present at the hearing.
A pre-trial hearing in the case,
billed by many as a celebrity trial of the century comparable to those of black sports stars OJ Simpson or Mike Tyson, will be held on October 9, the judge ruled.
He also issued a stern warning to lawyers and law enforcement officers involved in the case to stop flouting a gag order and leaking information to the ratings-ravenous media.
"I am concerned with some of reports that I have seen in the press," he said, cautioning that those leaking salacious details would be "dealt with" if caught under rules aimed at ensuring a fair trial.
Eagle was besieged by an army of television crews, journalists and sightseers, a human avalanche that has angered locals.
The judge warned media to abide by strict rules he laid down on decorum he laid down to keep the proceedings "safe and orderly".
He has barred them from interviewing or photographing those involved in the case near the court and threatening to ban them from court if they breach rules shielding the victim's identity.
Gannett said he would not decide on a media petition to unseal documents containing the alleged victim's version of the events, a move opposed by Bryant's lawyers, until August 18.
The appearance, to chants of "Kobe!, "Kobe" from groups of fans wearing Lakers colours outside the court, followed failed bids by his lawyers to excuse Bryant from the hearing and to bar cameras from proceedings.
The all-star player was the often scandal-wracked National Basketball Association's clean-cut pin-up boy until his July 4 arrest after
which he was freed on 25,000 dollars bail.
He is a role model for black youths, making race -- along with fame, money, sex and infidelity -tantalising ingredients that are likely to keep the case in the headlines for months to come.
Bryant has strongly denied charges that he sexually assaulted the woman on June 30 in Edwards, Colorado, where he was staying while undergoing knee surgery in nearby Vail, but has admitted cheating on his wife with the woman.
If convicted at trial, the goodlooking hero who until now has been more used to basketball courts than law court could face between four years to life in jail or probation of up to 20 years.
Experts said any medical evidence in the case would be key to deciding whether the sex between Bryant and the woman was consensual, as he claims. Bryant is likely to give evidence in his own defence, they added.
But the case has already hit his business prospects, with chocolate spread maker Nutella announcing that its labels showing Bryant with the message "Try Kobe's Favorite" will be scrapped, partly because of the rape allegations.
His once pristine reputation made him a top pitchman and won him multi-year contracts worth between 11 to 15 million dollars a year with hamburger giant McDonald's, the Coca-Cola company and game firm Nintendo.
In June, he signed a five-year, 45-million-dollar deal with Nike.
All that is now at risk, sports marketing experts have warned.