Although Kobe Bryant's criminal trial has officially ended, some startling facts have only now been revealed about the situation that occurred in the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Eagle, Colo. last summer. On Sept. 1, the prosecutors announced that they were dropping the criminal case against Bryant, claiming that the accuser did not wish to go forward any longer. This ended a bitter 14-month legal battle between Bryant's lawyers and the Eagle County district attorney.

But some important facts have come out since the case ended. As part of the deal to drop the criminal case, Bryant released an apology to his accuser.

"Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way that I did," Bryant said in the statement.

How could it be that two people had two entirely different views of the same incident? Josh Ritz of Student Sexuality Information Services has one possible explanation.

"It is easy for a person to misconstrue the signals of another, and for a difference in intention to be ignored or missed," Ritz said. "The signals that people use in sexual situations vary so greatly and invariably someone can overstep their boundaries."

Bryant sees the encounter as very clear-cut.

"We were still only this close, and she gets up and she gives me a kiss," Bryant told police in an interrogation hours after the incident. (This transcript was leaked to the Vail News Daily, despite the defense's wish to suppress this evidence.) "So I kiss her back, and then, you know, I started caressing her or whatever. And then she puts her hand on my, you know, my thing or whatever, and it kind of goes from there."

According to The Denver Post, Bryant told detectives that there were five minutes of intercourse when the woman bent herself over a chair. "It was consensual. There was nothing weird, you know what I mean?"

Ritz referenced page 300 of The Hot Guide to Safer Sex by Yvonne Fulbright to explain the possible miscommunication.

"Studies show that men are more likely than women to interpret a variety of verbal and nonverbal cues as evidence that a female is interested in having sex," Ritz said. "For example, studies have shown that men are more likely than women to rate revealing clothing, drinking alcohol, complimenting a date, secluded date locations, like the beach or his room, and tickling a date as indicative of a desire to have sexual intercourse."

Of course, many suspect that this sort of case, sexual encounters between celebrities and young women, are not rare. Sports stars from Michael Jordan to the notoriously promiscuous Shawn Kemp have been involved in various romantic scandals.

The latest tidbit to come out of the Los Angeles Times is that Bryant made comments about a similar scenario involving former teammate Shaquille O'Neal, during the interrogation hours after the incident.

"Bryant stated that Shaq would pay his women not to say anything," Detective Doug Winters wrote in the sealed police report. "[Bryant] stated Shaq has paid up to a million dollars already for situations like this."

O'Neal's agent, Perry Rogers, said that Bryant's allegation was "undeserving of a response."

Another take on the case could be that, once again, a superstar with a high-priced legal team was acquitted. Bryant is now a member of the list of sports stars acquitted from felonies, which includes O.J. Simpson, Ray Lewis and Jayson Williams, all of whom were acquitted of murder.

Alan Grant of ESPN.com's Page 2 wrote: "Some will call it 'celebrity' justice. But I just call it justice. The charges were dropped not because the accuser unraveled, but because the prosecution's case unraveled."

And on the defendant's side, Pamela Mackey's team came out swinging, trying to take down the rape shield law and making bold allegations about the alleged victim, including one allegation that she had sexual intercourse hours after the Bryant incident.

On the prosecution's side, Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert's team bungled the case from the start. It was a dream team of aggressive legal experts battling a little rural district in Colorado.

The alleged victim's name was leaked by Internet media, and court documents with her name were accidentally released.

"In this case, a series of court mistakes and the freedom of the internet meant that (the alleged victim) received relentless publicity and that could have made the difference in her decision to testify," Prof. Richard Gaskins (AMST) said.

In addition, the trial was a media circus. Gaskins commented on the media's impact in cases of high magnitude.

"So much that happens in a criminal proceeding happens outside the courtroom, especially in pre-trial periods, that publicity plays a significant role in trial dynamics," he said.

"Ideally we keep stereotypes and prejudgments out of the courtroom; but celebrity is all about stereotypes, and the courtroom may never get the chance to hear the case as a result," Gaskins said.

Gaskins noted that the impact of the case may go well beyond Bryant. "Publishing the name of a possible victim of sexual assault may have an impact on the particular case, but also deter others from reporting assaults in the future," he stated.

What's next for Kobe Bryant? He returns to the Lakers as the premiere star, as his alleged feuds with O'Neal spurred the big center's trade to the Miami Heat. Bryant's Lakers, with the addition of Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and Caron Butler, and the loss of O'Neal, have either lost the best player in the game or have become a better-rounded, team like the Detroit Pistons, depending on one's viewpoint.

Bryant has maintained a great deal of his fan base, as he was voted into the all-star game last year, and cheered at many arenas around the country, not to mention the loud ovations received from Los Angeles fans. Even though advertisers have hidden him from recent commercials and promotions (Lebron James has replaced Bryant on Sprite commercials), Bryant's contracts with Nike and other companies have not been terminated. Nike eventually plans to release the retro Kobe Bryant Lower Merion High School jersey. (The school has called off the deal for now.)

"Whatever I need to do without making this thing public, I will do, man," Bryant told detectives in the aforementioned investigation. "My biggest fear is my career... and my image."

Bryant no longer has to worry about going to jail, but people have different views on his image, just like two people have different views on the encounter in Colorado.