Sean Payton to Speak at Loyola Commencement Ceremony

NEW ORLEANS — Sean Payton, recently retired head coach of the New Orleans Saints, will deliver a keynote speech to graduates at the Loyola University New Orleans commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 14 at the UNO Lakefront Arena. The event begins at 5 p.m. Payton’s speech will start around 5:35 p.m. The Lakefront Arena is located at 6801 Franklin Ave. Free parking is available on Arena grounds.

“Sean Payton is one of the most successful and long-standing coaches in NFL history, which (in our language) means he is a brilliant teacher who inspires excellence,” said Loyola President Tania Tetlow, in a press release. Like Payton, Tetlow announced she is leaving her current position. This summer, she’ll move to New York City to take the helm at Fordham University. “His enthusiasm and passion always made the team even bigger than the sum of the players. And he has demonstrated the quality of his character through his personal dedication to service of this community, and his public calling out of the NFL on diversity issues. The graduates will get to hear their own Loyola version of his locker room halftime speech.” 

Payton will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Payton’s wife, Skylene Montgomery Payton, will receive a Master of Science in nursing.

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Also receiving honorary degrees are musician George Porter Jr., Holocaust survivor and advocate Anne Levy, city health director and pandemic-fighting hero Dr. Jennifer Avegno, and the Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., who has spent a lifetime working with former gang leaders and helping them find employment and spiritual direction.

The event will be livestreamed on the university’s website via Loyola’s YouTube Channel.

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