Beset by toxic sexual assault allegations, Bill Cosby has resigned his seat on the board of trustees of his beloved Temple University in Philadelphia, according to a statement from the university.
Brandon Lausch, a spokesman for the university, confirmed the resignation.
“I have always been proud of my association with Temple University,” Cosby said in the statement. “I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students. As a result, I have tendered my resignation from the Temple University Board of Trustees.”
The university statement added that it “accepts Dr. Cosby’s resignation from the board and thanks him for his service to the university.”
Lausch said the university would not be commenting further on the reason for the resignation.
But board chairman Patrick O’Connor, who accepted Cosby’s resignation, told The Associated Press that Cosby does not want to be a distraction to the board.
A Temple trustee, Anthony McIntyre, added that the Cosby crisis presented a “no-win situation” for everyone involved. “It’s a tragedy for all and I’m sure that he did what he felt was best for the school,” McIntyre told AP.
Last week, Temple stuck by its famed alum, despite the mounting allegations he drugged and sexually assaulted multiple women in decades past.
BillyPenn.com, a website that covers Philadelphia, reported Monday that a member of the Temple board, Nelson Diaz, said the university’s Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet soon to discuss Cosby’s seat on the board and whether he will continue to be closely connected to the university where he was an undergrad.
“They’re going to have a meeting on that issue,” Diaz told the website. “So I don’t know what they’re goin
g to do with that. They just sent out a notice for the meeting (scheduled for Dec.9).”
Calls to Diaz were not returned.
Cosby has not been charged or convicted of any crime, and has said little in response to rape accusations made by multiple women in recent days, aside from angry denunciations from his lawyer. Nevertheless, the allegations have damaged his career, his image and his philanthropy, which is especially strong in higher education.
Cosby has donated millions to several colleges and universities and has close ties to others, especially Temple, where he has been a member of the board since the 1980s and is a frequent visitor, commencement speaker and attendee at basketball games.
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“I think (his resignation) is the right result for Temple, it’s a good thing,” McCormick, a lawyer in New York, said. “I’m happy.”
Last week, a Temple spokesman, Ray Betzner, said the university was stickying by Cosby, saying he “continues to be a member” of the board.
But the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where Cosby got his graduate degrees, announced last week it had asked him to step down as honorary co-chairman of its $300 million fundraising campaign, and Cosby agreed.
Other colleges and universities have severed ties to Cosby, or canceled speaking gigs. Some of his performances on his current tour have been canceled; others have gone on, and he’s received standing ovations.
On Monday, the Westchester, N.Y., paper reported that one-third of the tickets to Cosby’s previously sold-out shows at the Tarrytown Music Hall on Dec. 6 had been returned for refunds.
