By Ebi Kesiena
Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington DC, has decided to strip “Diddy” Sean Combs of his honorary degree.
This decision follows the release of a CCTV video by CNN, showing the hip-hop producer hitting his ex-girlfriend in a hotel hallway.
In a statement on Friday, the university explained that Combs’ “behavior as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor.”
Heritage Times HT recalls that after the video’s release last month, Combs apologized for the attack on singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura. “I was disgusted when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” he stated, noting that he sought professional help, including therapy and rehab, and asked God for mercy and grace. “I’m so sorry,” he added.
Meanwhile, Howard University that awarded the honorary degree to Combs in 2014 also announced it would end a scholarship in his name and terminate a 2016 “gift agreement” with the rapper, which included a $1 million donation from his foundation.
The university’s statement indicated that Combs’ name would be removed from all documents listing honorary degree recipients, emphasizing its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence.
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Four women, including long-time partner Ms. Ventura, have filed lawsuits against Combs, accusing him of sexual and physical abuse. Ventura’s lawsuit was settled in November, and Combs has denied all sexual assault allegations. In a statement last December, Combs described the allegations as “sickening” and claimed they were made by individuals seeking a “quick payday,” asserting his innocence and vowing to fight to clear his name.
In March, federal agents raided two of Combs’ houses as part of an ongoing investigation into sex trafficking. His lawyer described the action as an “unprecedented ambush” and a “gross overuse of military-level force,” maintaining Combs’ innocence.
