Youngstown-native and actor Ed O'Neill is speaking out against Youngstown State University and its recent hiring of Congressman Bill Johnson as the university's next president.

O'Neill spoke with longtime Valley journalist Bertram de Souza on his 'The Scribbler Publishing Group' podcast series on Thursday, telling de Souza that while he was very proud of his 2013 honorary doctorate, he plans to return it to the university.

O'Neill said, "I used to think that the mafia and organized crime was finished in Youngstown, but now I see it's not," he jokingly said.

 

He said he feared the university's direction and said that it wasn't because of the appointment of conservation to lead the institution but was of the arrogance of the Board of Trustees in its process.

"We have to protect the country, we have to protect the Constitution, we have to protect the rule of law," O'Neill said.

O'Neill also discussed his concerns over Johnson's comments in his role as Valley congressman, from opposition to gay rights, denying the 2020 Presidential election results to his lack of an academic background.

Anyone wanting to watch the full interview between O'Neill and de Souza can watch it on de Souza's Facebook page or his YouTube channel.

Also joining the conversation is Dr. Cryshanna A. Jackson Leftwich, professor of Politics and International Relations at the Beeghly College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Education.

O'Neill is best known for his roles in the TV shows 'Married... with Children' and 'Modern Family.'