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Bill Cosby addresses sexual assault allegations, implies racism is behind the accusations
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Just weeks before his trial, Cosby opens up for the first time in two years about sexual assault allegations against him

Bill Cosby recently addressed sexual allegations against him for the first time in two years, and although he was cryptic, he echoed sentiments that the accusations against him were rooted in racism. Clips of a recent interview with Cosby were released on Monday.

CBS reports that Cosby sat down for an interview with Sirius XM radio host Michael Smerconish, marking an unusual incident since Cosby has rarely spoken out against the allegations against him.

When Smerconish asked the actor if he thought that women accusing him of sexual assault were lying, Cosby responded with an ambiguous reply, one likely meant to keep him from going through another defamation lawsuit.

“You know better than that,” Cosby said.

Cosby echoed an argument that his daughter Ensa made a few days prior, while she sat down to her own interview with The Breakfast Club. Ensa claimed that racism against her father is why he’s facing the accusations today.

“I believe that racism has played a big role in all aspects of this scandal. The accusations against my father have been one-sided from the beginning. I’ve witnessed my father’s reputation and legendary works be dismissed without any proof,” Ensa said. “…My father has been publicly lynched in the media.”

“Could be. Could be,” Cosby answered when Smerconish if racism played a hand in the 56 women coming forward with claims of sexual abuse.

“There are so many tentacles,” Cosby added. “So many different—‘nefarious’ is a great word, And I just truly believe that some of it may very well be that.”

Cosby is scheduled to stand trial next month in Pennsylvania. He is charged with three counts of felony aggravated indecent sexual assault after allegedly assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004, at Temple University.

The Daily Beast reports that this isn’t the first time that Cosby played “the race card.” Last year, Cosby’s lawyers filed a motion that the actor wouldn’t get a fair trial due to his race.

“The Commonwealth chose 13 women to testify against Mr. Cosby. Only one of those women self-identifies as African-American,” Cosby’s legal team said. “The Commonwealth’s choice preys upon subconscious (or perhaps conscious) beliefs that a white woman is less likely to consent to sex with a black man, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s—the time period the Commonwealth chose to focus on.”

[Feature Photo: AP/Matt Rourke]