The Board of Trustees of Howard University, a historically black university in Washington, D.C., has decided to strip Sean “Diddy” Combs of his honorary degree.
The announcement comes after CNN released CCTV footage showing the hip-hop producer beating his ex-girlfriend in a hotel hallway.
“His actions captured in the recently released video are so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is no longer considered deserving of the institution’s highest honor,” the university said in a statement Friday. .
The rapper apologized last month after video surfaced of his attack on singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura.
“I was disgusted when it was done. I'm disgusted now,” Mr. Combs said in a statement.
“I went and sought professional help. I went to therapy and rehab. I had to ask God for mercy and grace. I'm so sorry.”
Howard University awarded Combs his degree in 2014. The statement said it would also terminate a scholarship in his name and terminate a 2016 “gift agreement” with the rapper.
The agreement was for $1 million (£785,000) which he donated through his foundation.
The Sean Combs Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.
The university said in a statement that it would remove Combs' name from all documents listing honorary degree recipients.
“The university has a firm stance against all acts of interpersonal violence,” the statement said.
Four women, including his former partner Ms Ventura, have accused him of sexual and physical abuse.
Mr. Ventura's lawsuit was settled last November, and Mr. Combs has denied all allegations of sexual assault.
In a statement released last December, Mr Combs defended himself against “disgusting claims” made by “individuals looking for a quick paycheck”.
“Let me be clear: I did not do any of the horrible things that are alleged,” he said, adding that he would fight to clear his name.
Last March, federal agents raided two homes owned by the star “as part of an ongoing investigation” into sex trafficking.
His lawyer called the action an “unprecedented ambush” and “military-level excessive use of military force” and maintained his client's innocence.
