Trump Decries 'Absolutely Outrageous' Attack on 'Religious Liberty'
Joe Kennedy, former assistant football coach at
Bremerton High School in Washington state
World Net Daily
NFL players are using the playing of the national anthem to promote a social agenda, and it’s already spread to college and high school athletes.
There have been no serious repercussions.
But let a high school coach, on his own initiative, kneel in prayer at midfield after a game and watch out.
That’s the substance of the legal argument developing for Joe Kennedy, an assistant football coach for Bremerton High School in Washington state until he was fired for taking a knee on the field before and after games and praying.
A district court denied his request to halt the school district’s discrimination against him, and now he has notified the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals of his plan to appeal
“I’ve attended the games this season as a spectator, but it’s been a punch in the gut to be in the stands,” Kennedy said in a statement released by First Liberty Institute, which is working on his case.
“I hope the court will rule that I can get back on the sidelines and keep coaching these amazing guys.”
Kennedy sued after Bremerton High School terminated him for offering a brief, quiet prayer at the 50-yard line after football games. In the lawsuit, Kennedy’s attorneys claimed the Bremerton School District violated Kennedy’s First Amendment rights.
“If the Constitution protects the right of a football coach to kneel in protest, it should certainly protect the right of a football coach to kneel in prayer,” said Mike Berry, the institute’s senior counsel.
Kennedy wants only to get his job back; he is seeking no monetary damages.
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