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DeMaurice Smith to give commencement address at Maryland

DeMaurice Smith

FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2010 file photo, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith speaks in St Paul, Minn. The NFL Players Association has turned to Congress for help in preventing an owners’ lockout next season, drafting letters for lawmakers to send to the league and holding a briefing for members of Congress and their aides on the economic impact of a labor dispute, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig, File)

AP

NFLPA* Executive Director DeMaurice Smith will tell graduating seniors at the University of Maryland to floss and wear sunscreen (or perhaps give slightly less cliched advice) when he delivers the school’s commencement address on May 19.

The school has announced that Smith was chosen to give the speech at this year’s graduation ceremony.

Brian Toll, a graduating senior and chairman of the committee that chose Smith as commencement speaker, said he was inspired by Smith’s life story.

He came from humble beginnings to get to where he is today, which speaks to the personality he possesses and the story he can tell,” Toll told Maryland’s student newspaper. “Just because of the position he holds and the way he articulates himself, we think he is absolutely relatable.”

Maryland chose Smith even though he’s a graduate of the law school at ACC rival Virginia.