The Associated Press

DENVER - By insisting he only "made the mistake of adultery," Kobe Bryant left prosecutors with the challenge of proving he forced a woman to have sex with him.

"He said, she said" cases can be the toughest for prosecutors, said Steve Kron, a sports criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles. "How do they prove it's not consensual?"

Bryant, a Los Angeles Lakers' superstar, was charged Friday with felony sexual assault against a 19-year-old woman who worked at a resort where Bryant was staying while in Colorado for knee surgery.

Kron and others said Bryant's lawyers will scrutinize the woman's life and try to discredit her. Jurors might not want to believe allegations against a star athlete.

Loyola University law school professor Laurie Levenson said a jury might feel a personal connection to Bryant, just as they did to O.J. Simpson in his murder trial.

But she said it might be different in Colorado than in Los Angeles.

"In this small town in Colorado, they may care more about the victim," she said.

Kron said questions about money might be raised.

"Are there financial incentives for her? We all know what Kobe's worth," he said.

The reaction of Bryant's wife, Vanessa, will be crucial to jurors, said Robert Pugsley, professor of criminal law at Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles.

Time line

June 30: Bryant arrives at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera near Edwards, Colo., after 10 p.m., ahead of knee surgery at Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail.

July 1: A 19-year-old front desk employee tells Eagle County Sheriff's Department that Bryant sexually assaulted her. Bryant has surgery.

July 2: Sheriff's deputies take Bryant to a hospital for undisclosed tests.

July 4: Sheriff Joe Hoy issues an arrest warrant for Bryant, who has returned to California. Bryant flies back to Eagle County, surrenders and is released after posting $25,000 bond.

July 6: Bryant's arrest is made public. Hoy refuses to release booking photo.

July 7: District Attorney Mark Hurlbert says it might take several days before he decides whether to file charges.

July 11: Under media pressure, Hoy releases booking photo.

July 17: Vail Daily asks judge to order Eagle police to release two reports relating to the alleged victim from a month before the alleged assault.

July 18: Hurlbert files a single count of felony sexual assault against Bryant. Bryant releases a statement, saying "I made the mistake of adultery" and that "I am innocent of the charges filed today."