Bill Cosby's sexual assault retrial is scheduled to begin on Monday, and his former congratulators continue to distance themselves from the disgraced comedian.
The Ohio State University announced they are revoking an honorary degree that was presented to Cosby when he spoke at a commencement ceremony in 2001.
The move is unprecedented for the university, as they have never revoked an honorary degree in the history of the school. This isn't the first time Cosby lost an honorary degree in the last few years, though. Since allegations of sexual assault first came to light, the University of Pennsylvania, Brown, Tufts, Fordham University, Baylor, Oberlin College, University of San Francisco, and Boston University are among the schools who have revoked degrees from Cosby.
The Associated Press reports that an Ohio State Spokesman says Cosby has—by his own admission—violated the university's principles and values.
More than 50 women have come forward to accuse Cosby of sexual assault over the course of several decades. Many of the women have said Cosby offered them drinks laced with the sedative Quaaludes before taking advantage of them. Cosby has repeatedly denied the accusations, but an old deposition obtained by CNN does reveal Cosby's admitting to giving drugs to women he wanted to sleep with.
Cosby's first trial ended in June 2017 when a jury was deadlocked on all charges following 50 hours of deliberations. The twelve jurors in Cosby's retrial were officially selected last week. The new trial will begin in Philadelphia on Monday.
