In short, he was very credibly accused of rape and used his influence and money to bully the accuser into silence. He then went back to a very successful career as a basketball legend with almost zero repercussions. It's a sensitive subject, like with many "celebrity heroes", and his death has made it more difficult to discuss those events in a level-headed manner.
I firmly stand on the side that his career should have been toast and if he wasn't in the position he was in, he'd have faced justice and prison time.