As if the heat on Bill Cosby wasn’t already hot enough in the days leading to his sexual assault conviction (click here to read more on that), the comedy legend has seen some of that heat intensified in the days that have followed.
Cosby, 80, was ordered to house arrest and fitted with a GPS monitor after the guilty verdict was rendered on three counts of “felony indecent aggravated assault” following a 2004 incident. Though permitted to leave his house to meet with lawyers and seek any medical treatment, the embattled star must otherwise remain in the confines of his Philadelphia home until news arrives of his official sentencing (which could be up to 10 years per count).
With the news continuing the dominate headlines well over the weekend into this week, a number of colleges and universities who once celebrated the comedy pioneer for his support of education and the advancement of the arts began announcing their intent to rescind the honorary degrees bestowed to him.
Said revocation is just the beginning his new woes:
Though 5 universities have revoked degrees since his conviction, many rescinded their honors based on the accusations alone.
Five universities have revoked honorary degrees for Bill Cosby since he was found guilty of aggravated indecent assault Thursday…
Even before Cosby was found guilty, colleges and universities began to disavow him. Deadline reports that the University of San Francisco, Fordham University, Oberlin College, Ohio State University, Tufts University, Brown University, Baylor University, and Boston University all revoked honorary degrees for Cosby over the charges.
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Some of the dissociation from academic institutions comes as the result of pressure from a number of petitioners who took to Change.org to ensure Cosby’s honors were renounced. Now, new petitions are popping up left and right – the most damning calling for the revocation of his ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ awarded in 2002 (click here to read more on that).
Add to this, trolls have taken to the legend’s Wikipedia page!
The online encyclopedia has since changed the info to describe his career achievements before his criminal convictions.