Bill Cosby`s wife defends husband, criticizes media coverage

USPA News - The wife of legendary comedian Bill Cosby, Camille, has come out in support of her husband amid a series of sex abuse allegations, describing him as a "kind man" and criticizing the media for publishing the stories of accusers without vetting them. "The man I met, and fell in love with, and whom I continue to love, is the man you all knew through his work," Mrs.

Cosby said in a statement released late on Monday. "He is a kind man, a generous man, a funny man, and a wonderful husband, father and friend. He is the man you thought you knew." Mrs. Cosby, who first met Bill in 1963 and married him the next year, said a different man has been portrayed by the media over the past two months. "It is the portrait of a man I do not know," she said in her written statement, which marked one of her first comments regarding the high-profile sex abuse allegations. The comedian`s wife also criticized the media, remarking that accusers face no scrutiny. She recalled a high-profile "Rolling Stone" article last month that described a brutal gang-rape at the University of Virginia, but that account has since been discredited with key details being proven wrong and the accuser`s friends rejecting the story. "There appears to be no vetting of my husband`s accusers before stories are published or aired. An accusation is published, and immediately goes viral," Mrs. Cosby said. "We all followed the story of the article in the `Rolling Stone` concerning allegations of rape at the University of Virginia. The story was heart-breaking, but ultimately appears to be proved to be untrue." Mrs. Cosby added: "None of us will ever want to be in the position of attacking a victim. But the question should be asked - who is the victim?" More than 20 women have spoken in the media over the past two months to accuse Cosby of sexual assault, prompting some companies to cancel upcoming performances by the comedian, even though he has never been convicted - or charged - for any alleged wrongdoing. Cosby settled a sexual assault case in 2006, but the accuser`s legal counsel said recently that their "differences" had long been resolved. Cosby, 77, has remained mostly silent over the past two months, but he defended his silence late last month ahead of a sold-out performance in Florida, where he was welcomed by an adoring audience. "I know people are tired of me not saying anything, but a guy doesn`t have to answer to innuendos. People should fact check. People shouldn`t have to go through that and shouldn`t answer to innuendos," he told Florida Today. The comedian, who has rejected the sex abuse allegations through his lawyer, resigned from the Board of Trustees at Temple University in Pennsylvania earlier this month. "I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students," he said on December 1, when the board was scheduled to meet on the issue.