HBCU alumnus Stephen A. Smith took to the latest episode of his podcast to weigh in on Howard University revoking Sean “Diddy” Combs's degree and cutting all ties with him. The institution released a statement on severing ties with the disgraced hip-hop mogul after a unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees.
‘The Howard University Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to accept the return by Mr. Sean Combs of the honorary degree conferred upon him in 2014. This acceptance revokes all honors and privileges associated with the degree. Accordingly, the Board has directed that his name be removed from all documents listing honorary degree recipients of Howard University. Mr. Combs’ behavior as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor,” the statement from a spokesperson read.
In the recent podcast episode, Smith expressed his support for the decision, emphasizing that it was a necessary step.
“It ain't about applauding anybody, including Howard. It's about recognizing the necessity of this move. You disassociate yourself from people who are found to be guilty. I'm not talking about the court of public opinion, the court of law. I'm talking about what we saw on video. You cannot associate yourself with somebody who would do what P. Diddy did.”
Smith spoke about how big of a move it was for Howard to not only revoke his honorary degree but also return his $1 million donation that he pledged in 2022 and officially gifted the university in 2023.
“And now, we not only have Howard University, an HBCU, disassociating themselves from him and confiscating an honorary doctorate they gave to him figuratively speaking of course. They gave back the money. And I'm here to tell you even though Howard's endowment is significant, especially compared to any other HBCU out there but certainly nothing in comparison to Ivy League schools, a million dollars is a million dollars; and a million-dollar commitment is a million-dollar commitment. And for them to say, we ain't messing with you. We want nothing to do with you. You know what it is. You can call it bad. You could call it worse. This is what I call it. The end.”
Howard University's decision follows Combs' continued involvement in controversies related to abuse and alleged sexual misconduct. Surveillance footage from the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, obtained by CNN in May, shows an altercation between Combs and his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2016. This incident supports her lawsuit, which was settled last year. The video captures Combs chasing Cassie down a hallway.
He encounters her in the elevator lobby, grabs her neck, pushes her to the ground, kicks her, snatches her bags, and drags her back down the hallway by her sweatshirt. Combs then returns her bags to the hotel room while Cassie tries to reach a hotel phone by the elevators. He later appears to push her into a corner and throws an object at her out of view.
Another lawsuit was filed against Combs by Crystal McKinney in late May, per CBS News. The lawsuit was filed under the NYC Gender Motivated Violence Act, enabling victims of gender-based violence in the city to sue their abusers, irrespective of when the abuse occurred. The deadline for filing suits under this act is 2025. In the lawsuit, McKinney accused Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2003.
Rolling Stone published a report outlining disturbing allegations of abuse during Sean “Diddy” Combs's tenure at Howard University. The report follows a six-month probe into Combs, featuring interviews with more than 50 individuals. Combs enrolled at Howard in the autumn of 1987 but left during his sophomore year to focus on his music aspirations.
The report starts by detailing Combs standing outside the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle dorm at the institution, where he reportedly began yelling in a “belligerent” manner for his then-girlfriend to come outside, according to a classmate. Comments from an unnamed witness stated that Combs proceeded to assault her with a belt. A witness of the event informed Rolling Stone that he appeared furious, shouting loudly.
The report also describes instances of inappropriate behavior by Combs towards female students, including tapping on windows to disrupt classes, unwelcome physical contact, and displays of anger towards students who questioned him.