Andrew Hawkins has been inspirational during his time in the NFL, but the receiver has found a new way to become an incredible role model. Over the weekend, he graduated from Columbia University and received his master’s, and he did it with a 4.0 GPA.
NFL receiver Andrew Hawkins just graduated from Columbia University with a 4.0 GPA
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Hawkins played with the Browns in 2016 before asking to be released so he could chase a championship with a contender. He did just that a week after his graduation when the 31-year-old receiver announced that he was signing with the New England Patriots.
Before he joined the defending Super Bowl champions, Hawkins made the most of the opportunity to use his time to get a degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the country.
He was a full-time student last semester and graduated with a perfect GPA. Hawkins posted his transcript online:
Hawkins made headlines early in the football season when he spoke candidly about his support of Colin Kaepernick during his national anthem protest, telling Cleveland.com:
“It’s not so much about the kneeling as much as it is about the message. And it’s a message that you guys all know I’m passionate about and we’ve kind of been through this before.”
Hawkins never shied away from standing up for what he believed in during his NFL career. He wore a shirt that said “Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford” in 2015, following the killing of 12-year-old Rice by Cleveland police, and Crawford, a 22-year-old also killed by Ohio police while holding a toy BB gun.
The receiver earned his master’s degree from Columbia in sports management and has not announced what his next move after football will be.
