Rev. Jesse Jackson is advocating for the release of defamed TV dad Bill Cosby, in an exclusive interview with The Philadelphia Tribune, the country's oldest, continuously-published Black newspaper. 

“He’s 84 and blind. Who’s he going to hurt,” Jackson told The Tribune. “He should be home and free and away from all of those germs."

Cosby is serving a three-to-10-year prison sentence at SCI Phoenix in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, after being convicted in 2018 for the sexual assault and drugging of a woman at his Philadelphia home in 2004, as Blavity previously reported.  

Jackson said he and Cosby have known each other since 1968 through various civil rights initiatives. The two are also members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. 

Cosby's legal team attempted to get him an early release at the top of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, however, the request was denied. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf later granted “temporary relief” for incarcerated people who would be especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, but since his order excluded sex offenders, Cosby, while at an advanced age, could not be released per the order. 

"The government needs to do something. He shouldn’t still be in prison,” Jackson continued.

In response to Jackson's call for Cosby's freedom, Maria A. Bivens, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections press secretary, released a statement acknowledging that her department has no authority in the matter. 

“The PA DOC does not have the authority to release inmates. The authority to release would come as a court order, pardon, commutation or parole action. Based on the reprieve criteria exempting sex offenders, inmate Cosby is not eligible for a reprieve,” Bivens wrote.

Jackson continued his interview by asserting that Cosby has done too much good to serve prison time. 

Cosby and his wife, Camille had long been known as generous donors to a variety of organizations and HBCUs, including a $20 million donation to Spelman College in 1988, which until 2019 was the largest-ever monetary gift to an HBCU, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

“He’s helped so many, many people,” Jackson said. “I’m coming forward to speak out because I believe in justice too.”

According to The Philadelphia Tribune, Jackson also referenced the more than 40 pardons
President Donald Trump has issued over the past week. 

Cosby's publicist, Andrew Wyatt issued a statement to USA Today thanking Jackson on his behalf.   

"Mr. & Mrs. Cosby are forever grateful to Reverend Jackson and his family because he has been working feverishly to get the State of PA to release Mr. Cosby, since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, back in April," the statement read. 

Jackson is not the first celebrity to call for Cosby's early release from prison, nor is he the first to receive reverence from Cosby's camp. In September 2020, rapper Boosie Badazz
launched a campaign to free Cosby, according to AllHipHop.com. Cosby's verified Twitter account later released a tweet of gratitude for the southern rapper's efforts. 

"On this 10th day of December 2020…I will pay homage to those who have supported me and my family, simply by saying, thank you. The first person to be recognized on Thank You Thursday is Rapper @BOOSIEOFFICIAL Thank you for your support & I’m praying for you to have a speedy recovery and for your mobility to be restored."

Cosby's team continues to call for his early release amid a lengthy appeals process, which just as recently as last month found its way to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court who will rule in the next few months whether or not they believe Cosby's was fairly convicted, according to USA Today. 

"We remain hopeful and prayerful that the PA State Supreme Court will vacate Mr. Cosby’s false imprisonment, due to Mr. Cosby having immunity," Wyatt told USA Today. "If that’s not the case, we are hopeful and prayerful that the PA State Supreme Court will warrant Mr. Cosby a new trial."

 

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