Bill Cosby Grants First Interview In Years Weeks Before Trial

NORRISTOWN, PA — Just weeks before his trial for felony indecent assault is expected to begin in Montgomery County, Bill Cosby granted his first interview in more than two years. While largely avoiding the subject of the trial, Cosby did state that he will not be taking the witness stand in his own defense and also hinted at racial motivations in the case that had been made against him.

The statements came during a rare interview with XM Radio host Michael Smerconish which had been pre-recorded and was released on Tuesday. It was Cosby's first interview or formal public appearance in more than two years.

The interview with Cosby, 79, corresponded with his release of a series of tapes that featured his daughter interviewing him about his early life in Philadelphia.

"It's something that says here he is, this is what he's doing, and he's not put in a position of negative speech," Cosby said.

Jury selection in Cosby's case begins early next week. Jurors will be picked from Allegheny County near Pittsburgh. Smerconish asked Cosby if he hoped the interview and the tapes would be heard by jurors, and Cosby demurred, saying only "You can't aim at jurors."

"I always talk about Philadelphia. It's in my records. It's in my monologues. It's important to me because that's my connection, being in Philadelphia," Cosby added.

Cosby refused to discuss the trial in any detail. Cosby, along with his daughters on the tapes, suggested that race has played a role in how he has been treated by authorities and the public during his investigation and judicial proceedings.

"Like the cruel history of our people, the legal system and the protections of the law do not seem to exist for him (Cosby) today," his daughter, Erinn, said.

The trial for Cosby's alleged sexual assault of Andrea Constand, a Temple University employee and former acquaintance, begins June 5.

Image via Montgomery County District Attorney