Bill Cosby and the University of Massachusetts Amherst have agreed to part ways as a barrage of sexual assault accusations continue to pile up against the comedian.
“Bill Cosby has agreed to resign as an honorary co-chair of UMass Amherst’s capital campaign. He no longer has any affiliation with the campaign nor does he serve in any other capacity for the university,” said Ed Blaguszewski, a spokesman for the school, CNN reported Friday.
Mr. Cosby has been forced to cancel numerous shows and NBC scrapped a television show he was supposed play a key role in since the string of accusations began. He has refused to discuss the claims made by at least 15 women.
A lawyer for the comedian, Martin D. Singer, sent CNN a statement saying it defies common sense that “so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years.”
Mr. Cosby did settle a civil suit brought against him in 2004 by Temple University staffer Andrea Constand. Ms. Constand’s suit alleged 13 Jane Does were also victimized in similar ways by the comedian.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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