Journalist Is Suspended For Tweeting About Kobe Bryant's Rape Case Hours After His Death

While everybody is mourning the death of Kobe Bryant, a Washington Post journalist is facing backlash for tweeting about the late basketball legend’s historical sexual assault case just moments after the harrowing news of his death broke. The newspaper has since then placed the journalist, Felicia Sonmez, on administrative leave.

On Sunday, Sonmez posted on Twitter a link to an article about the 2003 rape allegation against the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar. Titled “Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession,” the piece was not written by Sonmez and was originally published in 2016.

Sonmez’s poor judgment in sharing the article about the highly sensitive case that dogged Bryant early in his career drew a widespread uproar from fans, with many deeming her tweet inappropriate and calling for her to be fired. “Is the Washington Post going to fire Felicia Sonmez for this heartless tweet or does the paper condone her actions after the tragic death of Kobe Bryant?” one fan asked.

As the backlash mounted Sunday night, The Washington Post released a statement informing the public of Sonmez’s suspension on Monday. “Sonmez was placed on administrative leave while The Post reviews whether tweets about the death of Kobe Bryant violated The Post newsroom’s social media policy. The tweets displayed poor judgment that undermined the work of her colleagues,” the statement read.

Despite deleting her tweet after receiving backlash, Sonmez defended her decision to share the article and even shared a screenshot of the hate mail she had received over the tweets, including the names of their senders. “Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality, even if that public figure is beloved and that totality upsetting,” she tweeted, adding that the seriousness of the 2003 allegations against Bryant was a valid part of his legacy and his life.

Kobe Bryant died at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles on Sunday morning. His 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people were also on board when the helicopter crashed. None of them survived.