He was 'America's Dad.'
Cliff Huxtable.
Now he's a convicted felon. A sex offender.
A jury in Montgomery County convicted Bill Cosby - at one time perhaps the most widely respected entertainer in the world - of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in his Cheltenham home.
Count me among those who are surprised.
I was predicting an acquittal.
Shows how much I know.
The Cosby defense team put on a woman on the stand who testified that she once heard accuser Andrea Constand talk about how she could make a lot of money making up just such a story.
It also was revealed during the trial that Cosby paid her $3.5 million dollars as part of a settlement of a civil action.
I have to admit I almost spit out my coffee when I first heard that figure. I knew that Cosby had settled the case, but I was stunned at the amount.
But that was countered by a prosecution team that put a handful of women on the stand, all of whom told a similar story of Cosby drugging them and sexually assaulting them.
Not a good look for America's Dad.
It also should be noted something else that has changed since Cosby's first trial ended in a hung jury.
The #Metoo movement arrived, with women coming forward to tell their stories of harassment and assault against entertainment gurus such as Harvey Weinstein and media figures such as Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer.
Now it has claimed 'The Cos.'
Looking for a headline for this story? I decided to play in straight on today's Page One, stamping a huge 'Guilty' over Cosby's face.
He could wind up spending the rest of his life in prison.
Right now he's a prisoner in his Cheltenham home, confined to the property until his sentencing date, which has not yet been set by the judge.
So I guess now the question is will Cliff Huxtable wind up behind bars, and how much time will he get?
You can read our coverage here.
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