New York — Bill Cosby's wife says the embattled comedian is in fact the man his fans have always loved. 

In a statement released Monday, Camille Cosby dismisses accusations from more than 15 women that they were drugged and raped by her husband as long ago as the late 1960s. She says these accusers aren't being properly vetted by the media before their accounts are published or aired. The man they are accusing is "a man I do not know," she says. 

She suggests that her husband, not the women, is the actual victim. 

The statement, released by Cosby spokesman David Brokaw, is the first public comment from Cosby's long-time wife since a wave of allegations began swirling several weeks ago. 

She calls her husband "a kind man" and "a generous man."