PR expert on Bill Cosby drug admission: 'The guy is done'

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) {}Public relations experts say{}Bill Cosby's admission{}to giving a woman drugs and having sex with her may have delivered a fatal blow to the aging comedian's career and legacy, regardless of whether he is ever found guilty of any sort of wrongdoing in a court of law.

Court documents unsealed Monday show Cosby admitted in a 2005 deposition to giving a woman Quaaludes and then having sex with her in the 1970s, and to obtaining drugs with the intention of using them for sex with young women.

The documents, which only contain portions of the deposition transcript, do not indicate that Cosby ever acknowledged giving the women drugs without their consent or whether he admitted to actually using them with more than one woman.

[READ: {}How the Cosby controversy unfolded over the last decade]

While significant in the context of his ongoing legal troubles, public relations experts doubt that distinction will matter much in the court of public opinion.

"I think it's probably a distinction without difference," said Glenn Selig, founder of The Publicity Agency.

Selig said people will likely assume that if Cosby was obtaining the drugs, it was with the intention of taking advantage of women and that there is something sinister in his behavior, even if he did not admit to that.

Ernest Delbuono, senior vice president and chair of crisis practice at Levick, agreed, saying if this was only a single allegation, people might be willing to ignore it, but Cosby's words in these documents come after dozens of women have accused him of acts ranging from unwanted sexual advances to rape.

"He's sort of gone down over the ledge on this one," Delbuono said.

"He begins to appear to be a liar and appear to be maneuvering," said Michael Bilello, founder of Centurion Strategies, of the way Cosby and his attorney seem to be evading questions in the deposition.

Bilello said the worst scenario for a client from a crisis management standpoint is one where information drips out piecemeal and every few months there's a new story that damages their character.

Celebrities who have been critical of Cosby since the scandal first broke last fall greeted Monday's revelations as evidence that should silence his more vocal defenders.

Singer Jill Scott, who has stood by Cosby in the past, turned against him after reading his own words in the documents.

Actress Whoopi Goldberg{}continued to defend Cosby on "The View"{}Tuesday, emphasizing that his statements in the deposition did not amount to an admission of rape.{}

"View" co-host Raven-Symone said she did not like to talk about the scandal because Cosby gave the actress her first job on "The Cosby Show," but she acknowledged there are now "real facts" supporting the allegations.

On Tuesday, Bounce TV announced it will no longer air reruns of Bill Cosby's late 1990s sitcom "Cosby," and Centric announced it will be removing "The Cosby Show" from its schedule beginning tomorrow.

Cosby's attorney did not respond to a request for comment on the unsealed documents Tuesday.

The comedian has never been charged with a crime in connection with any of the allegations publicly leveled against him by more than 30 women, and a lawsuit filed by one accuser in 2005 was settled out of court. Several women who have made accusations against him are now suing him for defamation over public denials by his attorneys.

The unsealed documents do not provide proof of a crime, but attorneys for his accusers have said they may bolster the civil cases against him. Even if he prevails in court, the experts say the public relations damage is already done.

"I think it's not quite the nail in the coffin, but it's pretty close," Selig said.

"His obituary might have read before, 'This groundbreaking performer who was accused of having sex with women while they were under the influence of drugs' now becomes 'admitted to having drugs for the purpose of'" Delbuono said.

"It's the first time there's been anything that really validates the claims" other than the alleged victims' words, Selig said, and that may lead some of Cosby's remaining defenders and the fans who were still holding on to his legacy to reconsider their support.

Cosby's pending legal cases complicate any response to the latest revelations from a public relations perspective.

"I would have to ask him first what is his goal right now" before advising him on whether or not to make a public statement, Delbuono said.

At his age, 77, Cosby's public life is pretty much over, Delbuono said, so making a statement or doing an interview now would offer little benefit to Cosby while potentially opening him up to more allegations or lawsuits from other women who are still out there.

"Continuing to keep quiet, from a P.R. strategyis really difficult," Selig said, because it looks like Cosby is hiding behind his lawyers.

"This is where P.R. meets legal," Selig said. If Cosby wants to convince the public he is innocent, he should speak, but he would run the risk of facing more lawsuits.

Still, Selig said, it is never too late for a celebrity to save their image, however difficult that may be, and the first step for Cosby would be to do an interview and answer questions.

"I think there is a path if he chooses to go down that road," Selig said, "but it's not going to happen by continuing to hide behind the attorney."

Bilello said Cosby's options now depend on what he wants and what he can live without, but a TV or film comeback is out of the question.

"The guy is done. Nobody's going to touch him," Bilello said, although Cosby will likely continue to be able to perform for small crowds in whatever venues will still have him.

"I think any celebrity out there, your biggest fear is not being remembered," Bilello said, and Cosby has spent decades building a positive image of himself that could be undone by this controversy.

"I think this will probably be more synonymous with his name than 'The Cosby Show' or 'Playboy After Dark,'" he said.

People who grew up in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s may remember Cosby for his television work, but the younger generation that consumes their information through social media could be the ones who ultimately decide his legacy.

"You're going to see a fissure between those who remember him fondly and those who remember him for this," Bilello said, and when Cosby dies, he predicted the conversation on Twitter is going to be about the comedian allegedly using pharmaceuticals to have sex with women, not his sitcoms.

"That will be his grand recall, especially on social media."