“Disgusted by the Chaos”: Marcellus Wiley Condemns Ivy League Protests
LA News Center (formerly Fox News) – Former NFL defensive end and host of OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me,” Marcellus Wiley, has expressed his disgust at the recent protests at Columbia University and other Ivy League campuses.
During an interview with Dan Dakich, Wiley, who played college football at Columbia, said, “I’m disgusted. I don’t pick the political side… it doesn’t matter what side you are politically on this one. You don’t have the right to protest and be unruly. Now, peacefully protest, go do it.”
Wiley, whose foundation, Project Transition, works closely with youth, emphasized that many of the protesting students don’t even know what they’re marching for. “It’s unreal… like it’s insane,” he said. “And the ones that do know also know that this is not the end all be all. There are other steps and measures you must take beyond protesting.”
Consequences and Reputation Damage
Wiley expressed concern about the potential damage to students’ future and the reputation of their university. “When you leave, people ask ‘Where did you go to school?’ and then their minds go to two places,” Wiley explained. “The positive, academic reputation, great curriculum… and then awe Columbia… the place where all the protests, the place where all the kids can’t even be controlled, the place where the leadership didn’t step in fast enough, swift enough.” He added, “So it damages your reputation, but we will rebound because we have to rebound.”
Wiley pointed to Stanford University’s handling of student protests as a successful example. Stanford established clear rules of engagement, including designated protest times and locations, and imposed swift consequences for violations. “I wish we would’ve handled it like Stanford,” Wiley said. “Saw some of the Texas schools, some of the Florida schools… Stanford wrote a letter, they said look before ya’ll go outside let me just let you know the rules of engagement… you are allowed to protest these hours, these places, go ahead. That’s what I wish Columbia would have did.”
“Rules of Engagement”
Like at other universities across the country, students at Stanford had set up an encampment to protest Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Unlike Columbia, however, Stanford President Richard Saller and Provost Jenny Martinez enforced campus policies prohibiting overnight camping and submitted the names of violating students to the Office of Community Standards for disciplinary proceedings.
Wiley believes that Columbia should have followed suit, saying, “And then after that if you want to violate these policies, there will be swift consequences.”
A Veteran’s Perspective
Wiley, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills out of Columbia in 1997, spoke to his own experiences as a student-athlete. He recalled the intense rivalry between Columbia and Yale, which sometimes led to passionate but peaceful protests. “We would go to Yale on a football Saturday, we used to get our boat rocked back and forth 50,000 strong… we want this, this is our rival,” Wiley said. “But at the same time, there was a rule of engagement.”
