Bill Cosby isn’t speaking to us anymore

Despite repeated attempts to ask for an interview with Temple alumnus, booster and Board of Trustees member Bill Cosby, we, the 86-year-old newspaper of the community for which he is, invariably, the most public figure, haven’t heard back.

Even though we want to promote his new book, “Come on People,” which The Temple News reviewed without him last month.

Since the January 2004 sexual harassment allegations by a former official of Temple women’s basketball program, Cosby has only been on campus representing Temple officially twice, by my count.

Once for a small College of Education movie screening during September of last year and then in the wildly public announcement of the football team’s new uniforms last April when he dressed up in a throwback jersey and leather helmet.

He spoke to the track team before last year’s season, as reported by The Temple News, and has friendships with a handful of Temple administrators and staff, but beyond that, we get the feeling the Cos is rethinking his ties to this school.

Indeed, since those allegations, he hasn’t spoken at a Temple graduation, once a tradition, and hasn’t held “Cosby 101” for incoming freshman, both of which he last did in 2004. He has spoken at other university’s commencements, though, as reported by The Temple News.

For that new book, which came out in October, I don’t need to mention that it burned to see Bill Cosby wearing a University of Massachusetts shirt in the book flap photo of him, seated alongside co-author Alvin Poussaint, even if Cosby went to graduate school there.

Now, to be fair, we haven’t been told no, but, it is tough to think so many emails and phone calls have been … misdirected. Come on, Bill, you’ll talk to the freakin track and field team, but not us?

Christopher Wink can be reached at cwink@temple.edu.