The University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the alma mater of comedian Bill Cosby, announced Wednesday they were looking to sever all ties to the embattled actor, as sexual assault allegations continue to mount against him.
The announcement by UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski to release Cosby from his role as honorary co-chairman of a $300 million fundraising campaign makes the university the latest of many organizations to cut ties.
“He no longer has any affiliation with the campaign nor does he serve in any other capacity for the university,” Blaguszewski told the Boston Globe, via Fox News.
The news came shortly after Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley asked UMass to end its relationship with Bill Cosby in a letter addressed to the university.
“At a time when the state is focused on prevention and response to sexual assaults on campus, allowing Mr. Cosby to continue to represent our state university sends the exact wrong message,” Coakley’s letter read.
She continued:
“Although Mr. Cosby has not been criminally charged nor convicted for these actions, the UMass community has discretion to determine who should be the ‘face’ of the university at any time.”
Cosby, who graduated from UMass with a doctorate degree in education in the 1970s, has reportedly donated to the university a sum somewhere between $250,000 and $499,999, according to the Globe.
The university’s press release comes fresh on the heels of NBC’s decision to shelve a revival of Cosby’s television career.
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