Howard University’s board of trustees voted on Friday to rescind rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs’s honorary degree, as the music mogul faces a raft of lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and other illegal activity.
“Mr. 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,” the board said in a statement to the student Hilltop newspaper.
The university described the decision as a decision to “accept the return by Mr. Sean Combs of the honorary degree.”
Combs, who attended the historically black college in Washington, DC, in the 1990s, was awarded the degree in 2014.
The statement appears to be referencing the recent release of 2016 video showing Combs punching and kicking his former long-time girlfriend Casandra Ventura, also known as the singer Cassie.
The university said it would also end long-term relationships with Combs and return a $1m donation he made in 2016 to fund a scholarship, as well as terminate an agreement for another $1m donation from the Sean Combs Foundation.
The Independent has contacted the foundation for comment.
After the video was obtained by news outlets, Combs apologized, calling his behavior “inexcusable.”
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” he said in an apology video.
“I was f***ed up – I hit rock bottom – but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable.”
After the footage surfaced, Cassie said her treatment by Combs “broke me down to someone I never thought I would become.”
In a November lawsuit, Cassie accused Diddy of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and rape, which the musician denied. The pair settled the suit soon after.
Since then, six women and one man have accused the music mogul of a host of crimes, including sexual misconduct, drug use, and other forms of abuse.
In March, homes belonging to Combs in Los Angeles and Miami were raided in connection to a Homeland Security investigation into sex trafficking.
He has denied all wrongdoing.
“I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” he said in a statement in December. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged.”
