Rutgers rescinds paralyzed alum's commencement address invite without telling him why

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Rutgers rescinds paralyzed alum's commencement address invite without telling him why
(Image credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Rutgers University was in a bit of a pickle when former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced last weekend she would not deliver the school's commencement address because student protests had made it a "distraction." Yet somehow, the college created an even bigger brouhaha for itself when it extended, then retracted, an invitation to have former football player Eric LeGrand — who was paralyzed during a game — deliver the keynote in her stead.

LeGrand said he got a call Saturday asking him to give the address. But on Monday, Athletics Director Julie Hermann informed him that former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean would get the honor instead.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.