Howard University trustees voted Friday to rescind an honorary degree awarded to Sean “Diddy” Combs, citing a recently surfaced video of the hip-hop mogul repeatedly attacking Casandra “Cassie” Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
Trustees of the Washington, D.C., university also dissolved a scholarship in Combs' name and terminated a 2016 “endowment agreement” in which Combs had contributed $1 million through his foundation, according to a statement from the university. . His foundation's future financial pledges have also been cancelled.
The university, which Combs attended, said the vote “to accept the return … of the honorary degree conferred on him in 2014” was unanimous.
“Sir. Combs' behavior, as captured in a recently released video, is so fundamentally inconsistent with the core values and beliefs of Howard University that he is no longer considered worthy of holding the institution's highest honor.” “The university is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence.”
Friday's decision is the latest setback for Combs, and comes as federal prosecutors in New York are considering whether a Homeland Security Investigations investigation into alleged sex trafficking should lead to criminal charges.
In the 2016 video, obtained and published by CNN last month, Combs is seen chasing, kicking, dragging and throwing a glass vase at Ventura, who was his girlfriend at the time. The video appeared to confirm at least some of the allegations of physical abuse against the singer detailed in a lawsuit filed in November, allegations that Combs had denied.
That lawsuit was settled one day after being filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In it, Ventura alleged that Combs “became extremely drunk and punched” her in the face, “giving her a black eye” during an attack in March 2016.
In a video statement posted to Instagram days after the video was released, Combs said, “My behavior in that video is inexcusable. “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”
“I felt disgusted when I did it. Now I am disgusted,” she added. “I went and sought professional help. I started going to therapy, to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. Very sorry. But I am committed to being a better man every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. Very sorry”.
Federal prosecutors are preparing grand jury subpoenas for witnesses to testify in the sex trafficking investigation against Combs, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Investigators have already interviewed several witnesses and told them to be prepared to testify, the source said, although it is not yet clear when that testimony will occur or how far away federal officials are from determining whether they will file charges. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.
Combs has not been charged with any crime and has denied any wrongdoing. The investigation was launched after three women, including Ventura, accused him of rape, assault and other abuse dating back three decades.
In March, investigators searching Combs' Holmby Hills mansion emptied safes, dismantled electronics and left papers scattered in some rooms, sources told The Times.
Combs' lawyers have sharply criticized the federal investigation, calling the searches of his homes “militarized” and a “witch hunt.”
