Washington principal who said Kobe Bryant’s death was ‘karma’ for being a 'rapist' suspended following backlash
A high school principal in Washington state has reportedly been suspended after she posted a message on Facebook, saying that the NBA legend Kobe Bryant's death was a result of "karma."
Camas High School principal Liza Sejkora was suspended earlier this week over the Facebook post that read: "Not gonna lie. Seems to me that Karma caught up with a rapist today."
The post, which was written on January 26, the day of Bryant's death, has now been deleted. Sejkore later sent a letter to the families of students in the school district apologizing for her "tasteless" post, according to CNN. "On January 26 after news broke of Kobe Bryant's death, I made a comment to my private social media which was a personal, visceral reaction," she wrote in the letter. "I want to apologize for suggesting that a person's death is deserved. It was inappropriate and tasteless. Further, I apologize for the disruption it caused to our learning environment today.
"While what I wrote was posted on a private Facebook account to people who are my friends and was quickly removed, I acknowledge that private does not always mean private," she continued. "I love being principal at Camas High School. We have tremendous students, staff, and community. I've learned an important lesson and I hope that I can earn your trust back."
Sejkora, in an interview with the outlet's local affiliate, said that her own "personal experience" caused a visceral reaction to Bryant's death due to his past accusations of sexual assault. "I have some personal experience that generated the visceral reaction,” she said. “This was a situation where I didn’t think before I posted, and I’m terribly regretful about that."
School district superintendent Jeff Snell also released a statement saying that the principal's remarks "did not meet [the] standard" set for educators in the district. Snell, however, added that the staff will continue to support her as she worked to earn back students' and parents' trust.
A 19-year-old woman working in a Colorado hotel had accused the NFL star of rape in 2003, and he was subsequently charged with felony sexual assault. The case was eventually dropped after the accuser declined to testify. A civil lawsuit was later brought against Bryant, which was settled out of court. The basketball great acknowledged having sex with the accuser. He, however, said that he had thought it to be consensual at the time.
Last month, a political reporter from The Washington Post was suspended by the paper for tweeting a link to a story about Bryant rape case just hours after her death. The paper's move was condemned by the outlet's Guild, which also accused the paper of controlling how the journalist Felicia Sonmez speaks on matters of sexual violence. She was soon reinstated by the Post.
The Los Angeles Lakers star, 41, died in the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on January 26. The chopper was also carrying his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others. None survived the crash.