I am a 1976 Princeton grad and read your list of the 25 most influential grads (cover story, Jan. 10). I am not particularly invested in it, and your article recognizes the problems inherent in such a list. Nevertheless, I can’t believe that Jason Garrett ’89 is on the list. He is a mediocre NFL football coach whose personal role in the national-anthem controversy was tangential. I am a huge sports fan, but his selection is embarrassing.
While I don’t pretend to be deserving of such recognition, I will point out that as the public defender for the State of New Jersey, I initiated the process by which New Jersey eliminated monetary bail in its pretrial-release system, thus eliminating discrimination against the poor and minorities based on access to resources. We are the only state given an “A” rating by the Pretrial Justice Institute. My office also litigated reform of eyewitness-identification cases, reducing the risk of wrongful conviction, and led the effort to abolish the death penalty. These are all national movements in criminal-justice reform.
My point is that I am sure there are hundreds of alums who have made real contributions reflecting their influence on their fields. A football coach?