Why did NBC want to work with Bill Cosby in the first place? That was one of the questions NBC chief Robert Greenblatt faced from reporters at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena today.

Greenblatt tired to open the peacock network’s panel with a joke, telling reporters, “We’re developing a comedy with Bill Cosby and a miniseries with Hillary Clinton.” That was in reference to two projects announced at previous TCAs that never materialized.

Then, Greenblatt moved on to the announcements, including Dolly Parton movies and Eva Longoria’s new series. But the moment the panel opened to questions, reporters quickly asked about the Cosby show.

The Cosby project, which never received a title, was cancelled on Nov. 19, even though several women had already come forward with accusations against the former Cosby Show star. But even before the current cloud of controversy surrounding Cosby, there were accusations from women that they were sexually assaulted and drugged.

“While over the years we heard some of those accusations and we knew there were a couple of settlements and whatnot, it didn’t seem to be the kind of thing that was critical mass,” Greenblatt explained, notes The Hollywood Reporter. He defined “critical mass” as the point when the number of women accusing Cosby reached 15.

“Look, he hasn’t been proven guilty of anything, so I don’t want to be the one that says, ‘Guilty until proven innocent,’” he continued. “But when that many people come out and have similar complaints and it becomes such a tainted situation, there was no way that we could move forward with it.”

As Entertainment Weekly notes, one reporter kept pressing Greenblatt, who was clearly getting annoyed. The reporter kept asking why 15 was the number of women who needed to complain before the show was pulled.

“Fifteen ‘yes,’ two ‘no.’ Yeah, you want me to answer that question?” he replied. “All I can tell you is there’s a lot of people who have been in business with Cosby for 25 years and go ask them the same question. I just answered what I could answer. I didn’t think it was a problem until it became critical.”

As for Cosby, he is continuing his standup tour, even though he could face charges from a woman who claims she was assaulted in 2008.

image courtesy of INFphoto.com