Bill Cosby has stepped down from a leadership role at his alma mater as the comedy legend continues to be dogged by a slew of sexual assault allegations.
Cosby resigned from Temple University’s board of trustees, the comic said in a statement Monday. “I have always been proud of my association with Temple University. I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students.” The school accepted Cosby’s resignation and thanked him “for his service to the university.”
Cosby has faced sexual assault allegations from more than a dozen women, including former supermodel Janice Dickinson, over the past month.
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Cosby has faced sexual assault allegations from more than a dozen women, including former supermodel Janice Dickinson, over the past month. A number of women have accused the comedy legend of drugging and raping them. Cosby has never been charged with a crime related to the allegations, and his legal team has hit back against the claims. “The new, never-before-heard claims from women who have come forward in the past two weeks with unsubstantiated, fantastical stories about things they say occurred 30, 40, or even 50 years ago have escalated far past the point of absurdity,” Cosby attorney Mark Singer said in a statement last month.
Cosby’s resignation from the Temple board comes just days after another university — the University of Massachusetts at Amherst — cut ties. “He no longer has any affiliation with the campaign nor does he serve in any other capacity for the university,” Edward Blaguszewski, a spokesman for the Massachusetts university, said.
The mounting allegations have cost Cosby several stand-up comedy gigs and the postponement of an NBC sitcom and a Netflix special program.
Cosby has said little about the allegations himself, choosing instead to have his lawyers speak on his behalf.
