Principal apologizes after saying Kobe Bryant got what he deserved

CAMAS, Wash. — A high school principal in Washington has apologized for a post on her personal Facebook page that suggested former NBA star Kobe Bryant’s death was deserved.

Liza Sejkora, the principal of Camas High School, wrote on the day of Bryant’s death: “Not gonna lie. Seems to me that karma caught up with a rapist today.” She later deleted the post and apologized Monday in a written statement that called her words “inappropriate and tasteless,” The Columbian newspaper reported Tuesday.

The former Los Angeles Lakers star, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash in California.

Bryant was accused in 2003 of raping a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort. Prosecutors dropped a felony sexual assault charge at the accuser’s request. The woman later filed a civil suit against Bryant that was settled out of court.

Sejkora, the high school principal, said in a message to families Monday that she wanted “to apologize for suggesting that a person’s death is deserved. It was inappropriate and tasteless.”

She also apologized for the disruption her post caused at school and referred to it as “a personal, visceral reaction.”

“In education, we remind students to think before they post online, especially when feelings are inflamed,” she said. “We also teach our students about context. My emotions and past experiences got the best of me in that moment. We also teach our students that what we share online has permanency.”