This is the end, my friend. The rape allegations and stories were bad enough. Even worse was the admission by Bill Cosby’s former assistant Frank Scotti that he was the bag man/wing man for Cosby’s girlfriends in the 1980s.
Now comes word via the Boston Globe that UMass Amherst has cut all ties with Cosby. Over the years, Cosby had been given both a master’s and a doctorate in education from the college. He was notably the honorary co-chairman of the school’s ongoing $300 million fund-raising campaign. Bill and Camille Cosby had donated several hundred thousand dollars to the school.
The UMass connection was set Cosby apart from everyone else in comedy and in showbiz. Education has been the underscore of his career. I cannot emphasize this enough. Parting with UMass must be killing Cosby. I have to say I feel bad for him now.
But it’s the silence that’s really killing him. Cosby’s insistence on shutting down, rolling over, and just taking these body blows is not doing him any favors. This is a tragic end for a beautiful career. For the school to end the association seems like the crushing blow, the final straw. That Cosby didn’t defend himself is chilling.