In an unprecedented move, respected educational establishment Howard University has made a bold declaration following the revelation of alarming footage from 2016 showing Sean “Diddy” Combs apparently assaulting R&B musician Cassie.
The damning video appears to depict such behavior by Mr. Combs that the University’s Board of Trustees have branded it ‘fundamentally incompatible’ with the institution’s intrinsic values, according to a statement. Consequently, they’ve concluded that Combs is no longer deemed fit to hold the honor that Howard University previously saw fit to bestow upon him.
It was a unison decision by the Board on Friday that set the wheels in motion to retract the honorary degree awarded to Combs in 2014. The claim reads that this unanimous acceptance acts to repeal all honors and privileges inherently tied to the honor. The Board further instructed all references to Combs as an honorary degree recipient of Howard University should be expunged from existing documents.
The severing of ties did not end there; the mandate extends into the financial arena. The Board insisted that university officials dissociate from all financial dealings with Combs, including a wholesale return of a one million dollar contribution. This financial embargo also means dissolution of the scholarship program bearing Combs’ name together with annulment of a 2023 pledge commitment inked with the Sean Combs Foundation.
Reporters from The Associated Press reached out to a representative for Combs on Saturday for comments but received no immediate response. However, last month, Combs confessed to the assault on his ex-girlfriend Cassie. The admission came in the wake of the release of the incriminating video by CNN. A remorseful Combs took to social media to communicate his regret over his indefensible actions in a video message.
Combs expressed profound disgust at what he’d done, admitting full responsibility for the disturbing actions that the footage captured. He reiterated his loathing of his actions, vociferously denouncing his behavior both at the time of the incident and now.
This scandal has ignited a cavalcade of similar lawsuits and public accusations against Combs, ignited by an initial lawsuit filed last year by Cassie, legally known as Cassandra Ventura. That lawsuit was subsequently settled, but the shockwaves continue to reverberate through Combs’ personal and professional life.
