Why Marshawn Lynch is a great choice as Princeton’s (or any school’s) graduate speaker

A lot of NFL fans would be thrilled to have a chance to listen to a speech from running back Marshawn Lynch. Well, that’s exactly what Princeton University seniors are getting for their annual Class Day. On Feb. 25, the school announced Lynch as the speaker, while citing his work off the field in both social justice and community service work.

A week later, several Princeton students wrote an op-ed in the school newspaper criticizing the decision:

We wish to express our thoughts on the choice of the Class Day speaker for 2020 and propose improvements that could be made to the speaker selection process. As seniors, we had been looking forward to the speaker announcement for months. Many of us were disappointed when we saw that this year’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.

The letter goes on to mention there were many Princeton students who didn’t know who Lynch was, and that they didn’t feel included in the selection process. They were also critical of Lynch’s famous “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” answer he gave to every question at Super Bowl 49 media day. But Lynch’s persona goes way beyond that.

While it may be true Lynch doesn’t have a specific connection to Princeton, or he hasn’t always been the most talkative with reporters, he’s given some great life advice that would benefit graduating seniors. Let’s take a look at the wisdom of Beast Mode over the years.

In late December, the 33-year-old Lynch came out of retirement and signed a contract with the Seahawks to help them during their playoff run. After Seattle’s loss to the Packers in the Divisional Round, he gave a quick lesson to the younger players:

It’s a vulnerable time for a lot of these young dudes. They need to be taking care of their chicken right, you feel me? If it was me, or if I had an opportunity to let these little young (players) know something, I’d say ‘take care of your money, African, cause that (expletive) don’t last forever.’ Now I’ve been on the other side of retirement and it’s good when you get over there and you can do what the (expletive) you want to, so I’ll tell y’all right now while y’all in it, take care of your bread so when you’re done, you go ahead and take care of yourself.

Lynch’s point here is simple: spend your money wisely, because you can’t play football forever. The money you earn from the sport won’t always be the same, either. Being financially smart with your money is good advice, whether you’re an NFL player or not. That will go a long way when you retire.

The former kid out of Oakland grew up to be an NFL star, and he wasn’t even known to have spent much of his career earnings.

In the same postgame speech, Lynch went on to talk about the value of both physical and mental health:

So while y’all at it right now, take care of y’all’s bodies, take care of y’all’s chicken, take care of y’all’s mentals. Because look, we ain’t lasting that long. I had a couple players that I played with that they’re no longer here. They’re no longer. So start taking care of y’all mentals, y’all bodies and y’all chicken, so when you’re ready to walk away, you walk away and you can be able to do what you want to do.

This is important for NFL players, who take a beating throughout their careers, but it’s also a message for everyone. Take care of your body, mind, and spirit. Keeping all three of those healthy is crucial to living your best life.

Throughout his career, Lynch has been considered a great teammate who doesn’t hesitate to help those in need. As a broke high school student, he took his offensive line to Sizzler after his last game as a senior. He has given extravagant gifts to NFL teammates, too.

The generosity also extends to strangers. He once gave $500 to a McDonald’s employee who liked Lynch’s shoes.

“If you’re serious about getting those shoes, here’s some money to help you get ‘em,” Lynch told the employee. “My job is to continue to see you grow.”

His work with his Fam 1st Family Foundation in his hometown of Oakland, California, has impacted young people for years.

“We’re just trying to empower our inner-city youth,” Lynch explained in a 2014 SB Nation profile of his foundation. “Not just in our community, but communities around the world. We take the approach with ... our foundation with just giving the best opportunity, putting our best foot forward with trying to give back to our community, to give opportunities to these kids that they don’t have. Just the opportunity for them to see us is really big.”

When he was with the Raiders in 2018, the foundation sponsored a concert that required attendees to be registered to vote to attend. The same year, he hosted 25 kids in London when his team played Seattle at Wembley Stadium. The Raiders nominated him for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2018, which is given to players who are active in community service off the field.

Lynch places value on the little things, like greeting Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr. at the airport after he lost a loved one:

The gesture apparently made the coach cry, according to an ESPN profile on Lynch from 2018.

“He wanted to go sit with Ken and comfort him until he got on the airplane,” said Sherman Smith, Lynch’s position coach at the time. “That’s the kind of guy he was. He was always thinking about other people. He left our meeting and went to the airport, and Ken Norton, Jr. would tell you how much that meant to him that Marshawn would do that.”

Lynch also stayed behind in Dallas with Ricardo Lockette after the former Seahawks receiver suffered a career-ending neck injury. The injury happened during a road game against the Cowboys in 2015. Lynch didn’t go back to Seattle with the rest of the team, choosing to comfort Lockette instead.

“We were in there with Ricardo and everything was in a sad mode,” Earl Lockette, Sr., Ricardo’s dad, said via the Seattle Times. “A nurse comes up and says, ‘We don’t know much about football, Mr. Lockette, but there’s a guy outside who says he needs to be in here. He says he plays with Ricardo, and his name is Marshawn Lynch.’ I go to the lobby, and Marshawn has his bags. He said, ‘I knew it was more than what they told me when I saw him go down. I knew it was more severe than that and I could not leave him here.’

Lynch’s actions are a great example of how a little compassion for others can go a long way.

It is true that Lynch hasn’t said much to reporters in the past. He replied with “thank you for asking” to each question he was asked after a game in 2014. He told Deion Sanders that he’s “‘bout that action, boss” when explaining why he doesn’t like talking to the media.

But it’s clear Lynch actually does have a lot to say when you listen closely.

I understand why some Princeton students are perhaps confused by the choice to have Lynch as the Class Day speaker, but don’t knock Lynch until you hear his message. My guess is he’ll give you some pretty sage advice you can use in the future.