Kobe Bryant is being punished for an allegation that he faced 15 years ago. Bryant, who won an Oscar for his animated short Dear Basketball, has been removed from a jury panel at the Animation Is Film Festival.
The festival, which will take place this weekend in Los Angeles, decided to drop Bryant due to his 2003 rape allegation. Organizers responded to a change.org petition which was entitled, “Remove Sexual Predator Kobe Bryant from ‘Animation Is Film’ Festival Jury.”
“After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury,” said Eric Beckman, CEO of GKIDS, the event organizer. “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.”
In a statement, Bryant responded by saying, “This decision further motivates me and my commitment to building a studio that focuses on diversity and inclusion in storytelling for the animation industry. I remain focused on changing the world in positive ways through diverse stories, characters, and leadership, in order to inspire the next generation.”
Bryant was arrested and charged with sexual assault in 2003. However, the case was dropped after Bryant’s accuser refused to testify.
