During the summer of 2003, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old Colorado woman.
Bryant had been staying at a hotel in the Eagle, Colorado area in preparation for knee surgery when the incident took place. Charges were dropped after the accuser refused to testify, and a civil lawsuit was settled out of court.
Bryant would later admit that he had indeed had sexual relations with the woman, but claimed that it was a consensual affair.
As a result, Bryant lost several of his endorsement deals, including a lucrative one with fast food giant McDonalds. The Bryant case was voted the top sports story of 2003 by the Associated Press.