Princeton Students Big Mad After Marshawn Lynch Announced as Class Speaker

Marshawn Lynch is a man of few words. When the former(?) Seahawks running back does decide to speak he often drops some jewels. This makes it particularly interesting that this is the speaker Princeton students have a problem with. Suggested Reading The Root 100 – 2024’s Most Influential African Americans Post #3 6-18-2025 Post #2…

Marshawn Lynch is a man of few words. When the former(?) Seahawks running back does decide to speak he often drops some jewels. This makes it particularly interesting that this is the speaker Princeton students have a problem with.

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According to USA Today, a group of seniors at Princeton has written an open letter protesting the choice of Lynch as their class speaker. He wonโ€™t speak at their graduation ceremony but during โ€œClass Day.โ€ Organized by the senior class, โ€œClass Dayโ€ is an event that celebrates honorary class members. In the letter, the students wrote: โ€œMany of us were disappointed when we saw that this yearโ€™s speaker was to be Marshawn Lynch, mainly because we did not feel included in the process by which this speaker was nominated and finally selected.โ€

The letter goes on to state that in the case of prior speakers such as Ellie Kemper and Cory Booker, they either were a Princeton graduate or represented the state of New Jersey so by default they represent Princeton. It also brings up Lynchโ€™s history of tense interviews with the press during his time in the NFL. It goes to show that the students that wrote this letter arenโ€™t too aware of Lynchโ€™s efforts outside the NFL.

While Marshawn โ€œIโ€™m just here so I donโ€™t get finedโ€ Lynch does have a history of not talking I donโ€™t think the man would take the gig just to tell some graduates โ€œYou know why Iโ€™m here,โ€ for an hour. In recent years heโ€™s shown himself to be an open interviewer and just recently gave a heartfelt speech promoting NFL players to take care of their mental, physical and financial health.ย 

Lynch was famously frugal during his time in the NFL. While he may not be the most traditional orator, he definitely could put the students on game. Hopefully, theyโ€™ll be open to hearing what he has to say.

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