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Howard University has revoked Sean "Diddy" Combs' honorary degree and terminated a $2 million gift agreement amid mounting controversies. The university's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to revoke the degree, conferred in 2014, citing behaviour "fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs," according to a statement released on June 7. This decision follows the release of a 2016 surveillance video showing Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
The Board's statement emphasized “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 University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence.”
In addition, the university will return Combs' $1 million donation and terminate a $1 million pledge agreement with the Sean Combs Foundation. No funds from the 2023 pledge had been paid, thus no money will be returned under this agreement.
The decision to revoke Combs' degree and terminate the financial agreements comes amid a broader context of legal troubles. Combs has been named in multiple lawsuits, including a settled claim from Ventura, who accused him of years of abuse and rape in 2018. Subsequent allegations have included sexual misconduct and other illegal activities. Combs' attorney, Jonathan Davis, stated, "Mr. Combs cannot comment on settled litigation, will not comment on pending litigation, and cannot address every allegation picked up by the press from any source, no matter how unreliable."
Further complicating matters, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's investigative arm has launched a federal probe into Combs, examining allegations of sex trafficking, money laundering, and illegal drug activities. Investigators have searched his homes in Los Angeles and Miami, and are preparing to bring accusers before a federal grand jury in New York. Combs, who recently sold a majority stake in the media company Revolt, has not yet faced federal criminal charges.
