Princeton Students Upset Over Marshawn Lynch Selection For Class Speaker

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A group of seniors at Princeton University took it upon themselves to write an open letter in the student newspaper, criticizing the process that ultimately resulted in the Seattle Seahawks’ Marshawn Lynch being selected as their “Class Day” speaker.

The University first announced the baller as the Class Day speaker a week ago. Class Day is organized by members of the senior class and also includes remarks by seniors, recognition of class members for contributions, and the induction of honorary class members. The op-ed in question ended up being published in The Daily Princetonian two days after the selection was announced. The piece focuses on asking for more transparency when it comes to the speaker selection in the future.

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The group of students who wrote the op-ed said that their main reason for being disappointed to see Lynch as the speaker was “mainly because we did not feel included in the process by which this speaker was nominated and finally selected.” Not only that, these students also expressed that they took issue with the idea that he was selected to represent the entire student body.

“…Saying that Lynch has “unapologetically embodied and advocated for our own identities and values” (as stated in the University’s official Instagram post) without officially consulting us, the Princeton community, is paradoxical and thus questionable,” the op-ed reads

For the most part, this letter stays away from criticizing Lynch himself, while drawing attention to the fact that former speakers have been alumna or related to the school in some way. Unsurprisingly, the students did decide to touch on Lynch’s interesting relationship with the press. First, they noted that Lynch was fined $50,000 and $100,000 in the 2013-14 seasons for refusing the speak to the media. They also referenced his infamous line, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” Because of these examples, the students claimed it caused confusion of the “set of criteria that led to his nomination.”

As for why he was chosen, the three co-chairs said they chose Lynch for his community work and on-field success. The baller helps run the Fam1st Family Foundation in Oakland, California, where he grew up. Marshawn has been involved in outreach programs that involve football clinics overseas and in 2018, he launched a program to give smartphones and cell services to those facing homelessness.

After this backlash from students, it will be interesting if someone as outspoken as Marshawn Lynch still decides to speak for Class Day.