Diddy apologizes after video shows attack on ex-girlfriend
Sean “Diddy” Combs has apologized for assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura after CCTV footage from 2016 showed him kicking and pushing her in a hotel hallway.
In a video posted on his Instagram page, the rapper expressed full responsibility for his “inexcusable” behavior, which was highlighted by CNN earlier this week.
“I was disgusted when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” he stated.
“I sought professional help, started therapy, and went to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”
He also mentioned his commitment to becoming a better man every day.
However, lawyers for singer, model, and actress Ms. Ventura told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that Diddy’s new statement seemed “more about himself than the many people he has hurt.”
“When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday,” lawyer Meredith Firetog said.
“That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”
The BBC has not independently verified the video, which appears to be a compilation of surveillance footage angles dated 5 March 2016.
The footage released by CNN showed a man the broadcaster identified as Mr Combs pushing Ms Ventura to the floor and kicking her while she is on the ground. He later attempts to drag her by her shirt and throw an object at her.
According to CNN, it was filmed at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.
Until now, Mr Combs had not commented on the video.
In an earlier statement, Ms. Ventura’s lawyers said: “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs.”
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said on Friday that the alleged assault captured in the video might be too old to prosecute.
The pair had started a relationship after meeting when she was 19 and he was 37.
Last November, Ms Ventura settled a lawsuit against Mr Combs – in which she accused him of rape and sexual trafficking over a decade – for an undisclosed sum.
Mr. Combs’ lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said at the time that the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing”.
Since then, several other women have filed lawsuits accusing the rapper of sexual and physical abuse.
His homes in Los Angeles and Miami, Florida, were raided last month as part of a federal investigation into human trafficking.
