The problem is that you can't paint yourself as a progressive person and forum and have your first response to a tragic accident in which innocent kids smashed in to the side of a mountain be ''yeah but he's a rapist''. Like these are sensitive subjects, Kobe has left behind a victim who other than financial gain has had no justice in her favour but on the other hand multiple families have been devastated by a tragic accident.
The response to anybody trying to brush the rape under the carpet should absolutely be to remind them of it because it's part of his legacy. On the other hand eight other people died in that accident yesterday. This is why for me you aren't as progressive as you may think if you operate and two different ends of an extreme scale. We can show empathy for the woman Kobe raped but we can also show empathy for his family, the other families and the people he inspired.
We have the emotional capacity to do both and subjects like these and especially on this forum should be discussed maturely. Jumping in with ''He's a rapist'' and also responding to people with ''fuck off'' is neither.
People can change, they can be rehabilitated, they can improve their lives and the lives of others. They can be looked up to, placed on a pedestal and do right in their community but they can also commit terrible acts with little to no justice. These things absolutely go together but emotions are raw and complicated.