Cosby and the Non-Answer

Bill Cosby is having a rough few weeks. After a mention in a comedy routine, suddenly his decade-old rape allegations are again front page news. The statute of limitations has expired on these cases, but Cosby’s worries today are not about criminal prosecution. They are about public scorn and the collapse of the iconic image he had built over nearly six decades. His is a public relations problem, and it is not only a threat to his present career, but to his legacy.

His brand is taking a beating, and his canned and stale arguments will no longer protect him. More than a decade ago, when the first allegations were made against Cosby, his PR team chose to simply refuse to answer any questions related to the matter. At the time it seemed the best course of action; stop answering and people will stop asking. Well, that’s pretty much exactly what happened.

That was then, when he was riding high on the beloved image he had as America’s Dad, and the media and world were a lot more forgiving and kinder. The media and the fickle public just moved on… but the Internet never forgot.

Over the past few years the Internet and the 24-hour news cycle have been critical in promoting the issues of sexual abuse and calling attention to the abusers. We saw beloved sports figures brought to public and even criminal justice. Actors, musicians, politicians and religious leaders have been exposed for past indiscretions and immoral activities, and contrary to what we accepted or simply ignored just a decade ago, the public has almost no tolerance for this behavior anymore.

Yet now, Cosby has some new projects he wants to promote and every producer searching his name and online reputation are finding the allegations. At first Cosby tried the old school “we don’t answer that” routine. But the questions kept coming, churned up by endless online speculation and an online social and entertainment media that both, loves a scandal and does its research on Twitter. Then the other shoe dropped when Cosby did an AP interview in which he did the old “no comment” routine. He then proceeded to chastise the reporter for doing his job; almost reminiscent of the catastrophic failure of the one-time presidential candidate Gary Hart who, in 1988, dared the media, "Follow me around. I don't care. I'm serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They'll be very bored."

This time, after Cosby chastised the media, the interview got worse … and Cosby was not paying attention to the fact that the cameras were still rolling and the lapel microphones were still active. Had Cosby truly said nothing, the issue may have disappeared. Instead, he chose to be petulant and condescending in response to honest questions.

The AP chose to air the entire conversation, and now even those who have been defending the man are forced to admit he looks guilty. Bad move. That brought about several accusers with credibility who felt the time was right to tell their stories. As the statute has run out on these allegations, there is no criminal case, and likely no civil ones either – so seeking money from Cosby for these seems not to be a motive. That makes the accusations more credible.

Suddenly, an American icon of family values has become a tarnished brand – and there is a good chance he may never return. The hazy allegations that could do very little to besmirch his reputation ten years ago now look clearer.

While there is nothing here that proves he is guilty, and he could be innocent, his handling of this make him appear guilty of something. Being that perception is reality in the world of public relations, rumored and confirmed can be one in the same.

If nothing else, the brand “Cosby” as a family values symbol is gone – and that will never come back.

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Ronn Torossian is the founder of 5WPR, a crisis PR agency.