LOS ANGELES (AFP) – US comedian Bill Cosby resigned his position on the board of trustees at a US university Monday in the wake of renewed sexual assault allegations.
“I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students,” Cosby said in a statement about his 32-year position with Temple University in Philadelphia.
“As a result, I have tendered my resignation from the Temple University Board of Trustees,” he said.
Around 20 women have now accused the 77-year-old Emmy and Golden Globe winner of sexual assault and even rape, most from decades ago during Cosby’s heyday.
In a statement the Temple board thanked Cosby for his service and said it accepted the resignation.
Among the women who have now accused the actor of drugging and raping them is Andrea Constand, a former director of operations for the Temple women’s basketball team.
She first raised rape allegations in 2005, a year after they were said to have occurred, but no charges were brought against the actor.
Cosby, world famous for his role in “The Cosby Show” that aired in the 1980s and 90s, received a scholarship to Temple in 1961. He dropped out of the school to start a career in comedy in Philadelphia.
Cosby was an active supporter of the school for years and a petition signed by more than 1,000 people circulated recently calling on the university to end its association with Cosby.