Sean “Diddy” Combs has issued an apology for his altercation with ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura showing him kicking and pushing her.
In a video posted on his Instagram, the rapper took full accountability for his “unacceptable” behavior depicted in the clip, which was recorded on CCTV in a hotel hallway back in 2016.
“I was disgusted when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” he stated.
“I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”
He also stated that he was “committed to being a better man each and every day”.
However, attorneys representing singer, model, and actress Ms. Ventura told CBS News, that Diddy’s latest statement was “more about himself than the many people he has hurt”.
Lawyer Meredith Firetog stated, “when Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday.”
“That he was only compelled to ‘apologise’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”
The video released by CNN on March 5, 2016, depicted a man identified by the broadcaster as Mr. Combs pushing Ms. Ventura to the ground and kicking her while she was down.
He then tries to pull her by her shirt and tosses an object in her direction.
CNN reported that the incident took place at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles, which is now closed.
In a previous statement, lawyers representing Ms. Ventura remarked, “the gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combs.”
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office stated on Friday that the purported assault captured in the video may be beyond the statute of limitations for prosecution.
They began a relationship after meeting when she was 19 years old and he was 37.
In November of last year, Ms. Ventura reached a settlement in a lawsuit against Mr. Combs, where she had accused him of rape and sexual trafficking over a period of ten years, for an undisclosed amount.
At the time, Mr. Combs’ attorney, Benjamin Brafman, stated that the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing”.
Since that time, numerous other women and men have filed lawsuits alleging sexual and physical abuse against the rapper.
Last month, federal authorities raided his residences in Los Angeles and Miami, Florida, as part of an investigation into human trafficking.
