Bill Cosby's defenders split after revelation comedian drugged women

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/08/bill-cosby-defenders-split-revelation

Version 0 of 1.

Bill Cosby’s admission under oath that he drugged a woman before having sex with her has split the comedian’s defenders, with at least two shifting their stance as others continue to warn against passing judgment.

Singer Jill Scott, who defended Cosby last year against the allegations from dozens of women that he attempted to sexually assault them, tweeted late on Monday: “I stood by a man I respected and loved. I was wrong.”

On Monday, a federal judge in Philadelphia unsealed Cosby’s 2005 testimony in which the comedian admitted giving a woman quaaludes in order to have sex with her. The suit, filed by another woman, ended in a settlement.

“Sadly his own testimony offers proof of terrible deeds, which is all I have ever required to believe the accusations,” Scott wrote.

“I’m not sorry for standing by my mentor. I’m sorry the accusations [are] true,” she added.

Last year, Scott had demanded proof for the “alleged allegations” that Cosby had over several decades drugged and assaulted women. Cosby tweeted his thanks to her and to fellow comedian Whoopi Goldberg, who had said she wanted the press to question the woman who accused him.

On Tuesday, Goldberg still refused to condemn Cosby. On the daytime talkshow The View she said: “In America, still, I know it’s a shock, but you’re actually – we’re innocent until proven guilty. He has not been proven.”

Goldberg again cast doubt on the many claims of abuse levelled against Cosby, saying: “Well this was just, this was one woman, and I believe, I think this was in 2000.”

She also dismissed the similarities among accusations and their preponderance. “I don’t like snap judgments cause I’ve had snap judgments made on me,” she said. “So I’m very, very careful.”

Her co-panelist Raven-Symoné, who starred as a child actor on The Cosby Show and last year called the accusations against her co-star disgusting, said she believed the court documents.

“I don’t really like to talk about it that much because he’s the reason that I’m on this panel and got my first job,” she said, but “now there’s real facts”.

Goldberg was not alone among entertainers who continue to deflect criticism from Cosby. On Tuesday, actor Faizon Love unleashed a Twitter rant that accused detractors of concentrating on “that bullshit”, referring to the dozens of women who have accused Cosby of rape.

Instead, Love wrote, people should be concerned about violence and racism against black people. He suggested that people did not care enough about the June murders of nine black people in a church in South Carolina, for instance, a shooting that drew nationwide outrage and mourning.

The actor called his online opponents “slaves” who “repeat everything” that others say.

Another of Cosby’s defenders, former co-star Phylicia Rashad, has so far not commented on the unsealed documents. In January, Rashad said the series of accusations were an “orchestrated” campaign about “the destruction of a legacy”.

“We’re talking about a legacy that introduced and portrayed American culture in its diversity,” Rashad said at the time. “It’s difficult for me to watch this legacy be erased as if it never happened.”

In court on Friday, Cosby’s lawyers said the documents were “terribly embarrassing”. They have so far not responded to questions for comment.

The attorney who represented Cosby in the 2005 case was Patrick O’Connor, who is now chairman of the board of trustees at Temple University, where Cosby was a trustee for 32 years until his resignation late last year. The woman who brought the civil case forward, Andrea Constand, was a Temple employee.

The university did not immediately respond to a request to comment.