Howard University rescinded the honorary degree awarded to musician and businessman Sean “Diddy” Combs, saying his behavior in a video showing him assaulting his ex-girlfriend meant he was “no longer worthy of holding the institution’s highest honor.” .
The university’s board of trustees “voted unanimously” to accept the return of Combs’ honorary degree and ordered the university to dissolve a scholarship program in his name and cancel a 2016 “endowment agreement” in which Combs had entered into committed to donating $1 million to the university. the university said in a statement Friday.
The university said Combs’ “behavior captured in a recently released video” was “fundamentally inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of Howard University,” adding that the institution “is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of violence.” interpersonal”.
Combs tended to Howard; He did not graduate, but received an honorary degree in 2014 and gave the commencement address that same year.
In May, security footage emerged showing Combs assaulting singer and ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016, throwing her to the ground and kicking her, before dragging her off screen.
Combs apologized after KeynoteUSA published the video, saying in a video posted to his Instagram account that his behavior was “inexcusable” and that he took “full responsibility” for his actions.
When the video emerged, Ventura’s attorney said it confirmed allegations she made against Combs in a now-settled lawsuit, which accused the hip-hop mogul of physical and sexual abuse. According to the lawsuit, Combs paid the hotel where the incident occurred $50,000 for security footage.
At the time of the lawsuit, Combs’ attorney said the allegations were “outrageous lies” and that the mogul’s decision to settle the lawsuit did not change his “total denial” of the claims.
After the video was posted, Ventura issued a statement that did not mention Combs directly, but thanked his fans. “Domestic violence is THE problem… with a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past,” he wrote on Instagram. “My only request is that EVERYONE opens their hearts to believing victims the first time.”
Combs faces a series of lawsuits, including allegations of sexual assault, violent behavior and sex trafficking, spanning decades. Combs has not been charged with any crime and has denied any wrongdoing. An attorney representing him previously said the rapper “views these lawsuits as a money grab.”
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