University Strips American Rapper ‘Diddy’ Of Honorary Degree Over Assault Video Of Girlfriend
The Howard University board, a historically-black university in Washington DC, on Friday moved to strip Sean “Diddy” Combs of his honourary degree after the video of him physically assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura surfaced online.
American rapper, Sean “Diddy” Combs, had apologised for physically assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016.
Ibom Focus had reported that a surveillance video captured in 2016 which was obtained exclusively by CNN surfaced on the internet showing the moment the rapper physically assaulted his former girlfriend during an altercation that matches allegations in a now-settled federal lawsuit filed by Ventura in November.
The footage, taken from multiple camera angles dated March 5, 2016, showed an incident that, according to Ventura’s complaint, occurred at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
CNN verified the location based on publicly available photos of the former hotel’s interior.
In the video, Ventura exits a hotel room and walks to a bank of elevators. Combs, holding a towel around his waist, runs down a hall after Ventura. He grabs her by the back of the neck and throws her to the floor. Still holding his towel closed with one hand, he then turns to kick her, the video shows.
As Ventura is on the ground, Combs retrieves a purse and suitcase from the floor near the elevators. He turns around and kicks Ventura again as she lies motionless on the floor. About four seconds transpire between the two kicks, according to the video. He then briefly drags Ventura by her sweatshirt toward a room before walking away.
Ventura is then seen slowly standing up. She gathers items from the floor and moves to pick up a phone on the hallway wall near the elevators. Combs, still in a towel and socks, returns.
A mirror directly across from the security camera shows Combs appearing to shove Ventura.
Seconds later, he sits down on a chair, grabs an object off a table and forcefully throws it toward Ventura.
Combs is seen walking away, then turns toward Ventura once again when an elevator door opens and someone appears to exit.
Combs in an apology video he posted on his Instagram page said he takes full responsibility for his actions in the video, noting that he had to go for therapy and rehabilitation after the incident.
Combs said, “It is very difficult to reflect on the darkest time in your life, but sometimes you have to do that. I was f***ed up. I make no excuses.
“My behaviour on the video was inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in the video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”
However, in a statement on Friday, the university said his “behaviour 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 university’s statement said Mr Combs’ name would be removed from all documents listing honourary degree recipients.
“The University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence,” the statement said.
Howard University conferred the degree on Mr Combs in 2014. It said in its statement that it would also end a scholarship in his name and terminate a 2016 “gift agreement” with the rapper.
That agreement was a $1m (£785,000) donation that he made through his foundation.
The Sean Combs Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.
