Francis Specker / AP

Kobe Bryant's image has been smudged by a sexual assault case and civil trial, and problems with Shaquille O'Neal, Karl Malone and Phil Jackson.

Ideally, if you are going to become entangled in an extramarital affair that leads to sexual assault charges, rat on a teammate’s secret liaisons to the cops, break up a championship caliber team and feud with the greatest power forward in history, you want to do it at an early age. It leaves more time for damage control.

The civil suit filed against Kobe Bryant by his Colorado accuser has been settled. No dollar amount was revealed. All we know is that the matter was resolved “to the satisfaction of both parties.”

We also know that Kobe voluntarily bought his own wife a $4 million ring to keep her from retaining a divorce lawyer shortly after this furor first erupted in June of 2003, so you can just imagine what an involuntary expense might cost him.

Kobe seems a lot older than his 26 years. He was drafted into the NBA out of Lower Merion (Pa.) High School at the age of 17, and has been in the professional ranks now for nine seasons. Lately, he has the beaten-down look of a veteran with a lot more mileage on him. Physically, he looks like a decathlete. Mentally, he seems forlorn and weary.

Well, I have some fabulous news for him, in the form of a bromide that just might provide him a cheery new outlook:

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You can finally move on.

The criminal case was seen as far more perilous to his well-being, as he could have gone to prison for 20 years. Given his vast wealth, the civil case was considered more of an annoyance than anything else. Bryant signed a contract with the Lakers last summer worth $130 million. Even if she managed to take him for half, he still would be a long way off from having to auction off his belongings. Reaching a settlement was merely a matter of time.

But now there are no longer any hindrances to Kobe’s rehabilitation of his image, unless, of course, you count the fact that he’s currently playing on a humdrum team largely of his own design and now may be stuck with it indefinitely.

A year from now, people won’t be talking about the sexual assault case. A year from now, they probably won’t be talking about the personal animus between Kobe and Shaq, since that relationship showed some signs of thawing behind the scenes at the All-Star Game. Also, Shaq is a smart guy. He won’t keep pounding Kobe in the press, because he realizes now he’s the clear victor in that struggle. On a certain level, Shaq probably feels some sympathy for Bryant, much the same way many feel a twinge of feeling now for Maurice Clarett. There’s something about watching a young man damage himself through his own hubris that makes you hold off from piling on.

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