Kennedy Emphasizes His Prayers Were Never Mandatory
By John Jessup
CBN
About an hour-long ferry ride from Seattle, and across the Puget Sound, sits the city of Bremerton.
Bremerton High School is known as an achievement award-winner among Washington state public schools. It is also known as being home to a legal battle involving a football coach and prayer that's all gone all the way to the Supreme Court.
Joe Kennedy loves the team he coached on this field for years and still proudly sports the school colors.
"Everything! Even down to my T-shirt is Bremerton Knights!" he said when we talked to him recently. That pride turned to disappointment in 2015 when the school district suspended him for a different public display: prayer.
"At the beginning it was kind of awkward to me, because I was just giving thanks. And I had a couple of kids, and they came up and said, 'Hey, Coach, what are you doing out there?' 'I'm just giving thanks for what you guys did,'" Kennedy said.Fired for Silent Post-Game Prayer
These "silent" post-game prayers on the 50-yard line caught on, spilling over to his players and even to opposing teams. School officials worried this might give the appearance that the district approved of Coach Kennedy's public prayers, creating a potential endorsement of religion. They eventually fired Kennedy, who calls that act a violation of his right to free speech.
"No one should ever have to choose between living their faith and their job," said Latan Watkins, an attorney with First Liberty Institute, which represents Kennedy.Coach's Case Draws Both Supporters and Critics
His attorneys argue this case is about the First Amendment and American religious liberty.
"Coaches, teachers, students do not shed their Constitutional rights just by walking onto a football field or a public school," Watkins explained.Coach Kennedy's stance has sparked passion, with big-name supporters weighing in, as well as critics who say he's just plain wrong. Dori Monson is a popular right-leaning Seattle radio host who's addressed the case on his show.
"To be a successful coach you have to bring a diverse group of kids together," Monson said. "I think once a coach starts imposing his faith in a public school, then I think you have a challenge bringing those kids together."The issue hits close to home for Monson. As a Christian and former coach himself, he quietly prayed for his players during games. He cites concerns about the country's religious diversity in disagreeing with Coach Kennedy's approach.
"If my kids were playing on a sports team and that coach happened to be Muslim, I wouldn't want that coach praying with my kids. And so I felt like, as a Christian, it's not my responsibility to pray with the girls that I was coaching at the public high school," Monson explained.Kennedy emphasizes his prayers were never mandatory.
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