Diddy recently issued a public apology after a 2016 video of him assaulting Cassie surfaced online, though he never mentioned her by name.
On Monday (May 20), TMZ reported that the Bad Boy mogul shared the response under the guidance of his attorneys, who apparently advised him not to mention the “Me & U” hitmaker.
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The gossip site listed two reasons. First, that Diddy’s settlement with Cassie came with a nondisclosure agreement, so they cannot discuss each other in public. Not mentioning her name, TMZ says, was Diddy’s attorneys’ way of making sure he didn’t violate that agreement.
Second, had he mentioned Cassie specifically, it could be potentially be used against him in the other lawsuits he’s currently negotiating.
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Last year, Cassie became the first of many to sue the New York native for sexual assault, harassment, misconduct and more. Per documents obtained by HipHopDX, the 37-year-old accused the “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” rapper of rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse, among other things.
As the cases against him continued to pile up, he released a statement and collectively denied all the claims made against him despite settling the case with his former partner out of court.
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In the aforementioned footage obtained by CNN, he could be seen grabbing his ex by the neck and throwing her to the floor. He then kicked her repeatedly, grabbed her personal items and then kicked her once again before running back to his hotel room. She then tried to use a phone to call for assistance, which prompted him to shove her to the ground.
All of this was detailed in Cassie’s lawsuit, which Diddy initially denied by writing: “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
However, he admitted to the beating in a social media post soon after the assault video went viral.
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that. I was fucked up — I mean, I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses,” the 54-year-old said. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.
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“I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
