EAGLE, Colo. – Friends of the 19-year-old Colorado woman who accused basketball star Kobe Bryant (search) of sexually assaulting her confirmed reports Sunday that the woman was recently hospitalized for a drug overdose.
The Orange County Register reported Sunday that the young woman had overdosed on drugs about a month before the alleged sexual assault incident with Los Angeles Lakers guard Bryant.
Friends of Bryant's accuser have since confirmed to Fox News that an overdose did happen -- possibly of over-the-counter sleeping pills -- because the woman was distraught about a breakup with a longtime boyfriend.
There were two calls to police from the accuser's home May 30 and June 1, both related to the suicide attempt. The young woman was deeply upset over a discovery that her longtime boyfriend had cheated on her, her friends told Fox News.
One friend said she believed the drugs the woman took were over-the-counter sleeping pills, not illegal drugs; several in her circle said she didn't normally take drugs.
All the friends who spoke to Fox News -- including the ex-boyfriend the woman was so upset over -- said they believe her story and don't think the overdose incident impaired her judgment the night of the alleged June 30 assault.
Still, the overdose details could well be used by the defense in the trial to cast doubt on the young accuser's credibility and state of mind.
The friends also revealed a few more details about what they say happened June 30 at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera (search), near Vail in Edwards, Colo. Bryant stayed at the resort from June 30-July 2 because he was to have knee surgery in the area.
The friends told Fox News that the 19-year-old accuser had given Bryant a tour of the hotel, during which he was polite and even shy. He then asked the woman, who worked at the front desk, to deliver something to his room, according to the friends.
But when the young woman arrived at Bryant's door, one of her friends told Fox News, "he suddenly went crazy." The friend said Bryant "acted like a whole different person" and apparently "snapped."
The friends and her ex-boyfriend told Fox News they firmly stand by her and don't think she would make up what happened the night of June 30.
Bryant, 24, maintains that he is guilty of adultery, but not of sexual assault. He says that sex with the woman was consensual.
At a news conference Friday Bryant, who sat beside wife Vanessa, firmly denied engaging in a non-consensual act.
"I sit here in front of you guys, furious at myself, disgusted at myself for making the mistake of adultery," he said.
Bryant was charged Friday with a single count of felony sexual assault against the woman at the gated, exclusive spa where he was staying when he came to Colorado for knee surgery. If convicted, he faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, and a fine of up to $750,000.
Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert (search) filed the charge after spending two weeks reviewing evidence and consulting with other prosecutors, and said he "can prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt."
"Given the seriousness of the crime, and given the type of crime, it's something the prosecutor does not get into lightly," Hurlbert said Saturday on NBC's Weekend Today show.
Bryant's attorney, Pamela Mackey, said he will plead not guilty.
The case is bound to take an emotional toll on Bryant, and a conviction would mean the Lakers would lose one of the league's best players in the prime of his career.
"Naturally, we're disappointed with today's announcement," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "While there are many questions concerning this issue, we will wait for time and the judicial process to answer them."
Bryant said Friday he was thinking more of his family than his career.
"I have a lot at stake, and it has nothing to do with the game of basketball and it has nothing to do with endorsements," said Bryant, who fought back tears several times during the news conference.
"It has to do with my family and being falsely accused. And, I'm innocent. We're going to fight this all the way to the end."
Mackey criticized the decision to file charges, saying the evidence wasn't strong enough to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
"The evidence in this case falls far, far short of that standing. The accusations in this case cannot be proven because they are false," she said.
Legal experts said that prosecutors have a tough task because the case appears to hinge mainly on Bryant's word against that of the alleged victim.
"He said, she said" cases can be the toughest for prosecutors, said Steve Kron, a longtime sports criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles.
"How do they prove it's not consensual? It's hard to prove [with] two adults in a room having sex that the sex was not consensual.
"Do you have witnesses or physical evidence? Was she bruised, scratched, injured in some fashion?"
Bryant returned to California after undergoing unspecified medical tests in Colorado on July 2 at the request of investigators. He returned to Eagle on July 4, surrendered to authorities and was released an hour later after posting $25,000 bond.
Bryant is scheduled to return to Eagle for a hearing on Aug. 6.
Bryant tearfully addressed his wife at the news conference.
"You're a blessing, you're a piece of my heart, the air I breathe, and you're the strongest person I know and I'm so sorry for having to put you through this, putting my family through this," Bryant said, pausing several times as he spoke.
Vanessa Bryant, who gave birth to the couple's first child in January, did not speak at the news conference. In a statement released earlier, she said her husband was not a criminal.
"He is a loving and kind husband and father," she said. "I believe in his innocence. Because I know him to be innocent, I will stand by him and we will face this together."
Fox News' Rita Cosby and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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