Princeton's pick of Marshawn Lynch as speaker causes stir
Princeton University students have taken issue with the school's announcement of Marshawn Lynch as the school's Class Day speaker.
Nicknamed "Beast Mode," Lynch is known for his bruising running style and his amusing, if not informative, clashes with the media.
In their announcement of Lynch as the speaker, the Princeton Class Day co-chairs recognized Lynch for him always having "prioritized community engagement and empowerment by leveraging his prominence as a professional athlete to promote opportunities for civic engagement and social justice."
Seniors who penned an op-ed in the school newspaper say the Super Bowl-winning running back isn't the problem, but rather that the student body was largely not included in the selection process.
"Saying that Lynch has 'unapologetically embodied and advocated for our own identities and values' (as stated in the University's official Instagram post) without actually consulting us, the Princeton community, is paradoxical and thus questionable," the op-ed read. "We do not mean to criticize this choice of speaker in particular, but rather want to call attention to the opaque selection process for Class Day speakers."
The three Class Day co-chairs are students at Princeton.
"Our goal was to invite a speaker who embodies the various experiences we have shared as a community during our Princeton tenure; someone whose professional and personal passions speak to the service-focused and intellectually rigorous interests core to the University," the co-chairs said in a statement.
The previous two Class Day speakers have been actress Ellie Kemper, a Princeton alum, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
Lynch, 33, an Oakland native and Cal alum, came out of retirement this season to return to the Seattle Seahawks for the team's stretch run. The free agent has played 13 seasons for the Buffalo Bills, Seahawks and his hometown Raiders.
Princeton's Class Day this year is scheduled for June 1, one day before commencement.
Related Stories
ABC News Live