In the past year I have heard the words "semen", "panties" and "pubic hair" on Sportscenter more than I ever thought possible. Thanks to an over zealous media culture, NBA basketball star, Kobe Bean Bryant and the woman who accused him of rape, sports fans and many others were taken to a small town in Colorado by Sportscenter, Pardon The Interruption (PTI) and local T.V. news to find out the latest details of the Bryant rape case on a daily basis.

Now that we have all had time to digest the news that the sexual assault charges against Kobe were dropped (and we brace for the impending civil trial circus), we can look back on this bizarre spectacle and hopefully learn some valuable lessons from it.

The first lesson is simple: Always wear clean underwear.

When I first heard that lab technicians had found several samples of semen from different sources in the accuser's panties I was disturbed. All I could think was, "Who doesn't change their underwear after having sex with someone? Especially if you think you are going to have sex with another person shortly after?"

I understand that in rape cases, victims are encouraged to try and preserve all the evidence, but by not changing her panties, the accuser mixed all of Bryant's evidence in with at least one other person's. Not only was there semen that did not belong to Bryant, but a pubic hair as well.

It is this evidence that ruined the case for the prosecution and destroyed the accuser's credibility. In rape cases, credibility is often the determining factor in the he-said, she-said agrument. Had Bryant's accuser just changed her underwear, Bryant would be sweating through the trial and facing the possibility of life in prision.

Another important lesson: Don't cheat on your wife. The Bryant case is a perfect example of just how badly things can go when you cheat. Not to mention it has cost him a pretty penny, an eight-carat, purple diamond ring, and for many years to come Bryant will be buying his wife uber-expensive gifts to make up for this indiscretion. (That is of course if she stays with him).

Who can agrue that one night of "consensual" sex with someone who's not your spouse is worth the nightmare Bryant has been living for the past 14 months.

We will never know what really happened in that Colorado hotel room, but I know some of us have learned a thing or two.