Hannibal Buress -- I NEVER Accused Cosby of Rape!

Don't shoot the messenger ... Comedian Hannibal Buress says he never accused Bill Cosby of raping women ... he merely reminded people LOTS of women did.

The former SNL writer credited for re-invigorating Cosby's rape allegations during a show last fall cleared things up for a crowd at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn a couple weeks back.

Buress says he's sick of being called the catalyst and wants people to know he isn't a detective and doesn't have a smoking coogie sweater to take Cosby down.