Despite demands from the school district, high school football coach Joe Kennedy is determined to keep up his ritualistic end-of-game prayers.
At the end of each game, Kennedy walks the 50-yard-line, “thanking God for the game and for the players.”
The Bremerton, Washington, school district is still investigating him for violating “fundamental constitutional rights” of his players.
The Seattle Times reports District Superintendent Aaron Leavell recognizes Kennedy’s actions were “entirely well-intentioned,” but the district determined they are in violation of district policies and the law and are “exposing the district to significant risk of liability.”
Kennedy says he’s never once received complaints; rather, he’s experienced the opposite: “Then a couple said they were Christians and asked if they could join. I responded, ‘It’s a free country, you can do whatever you want to do.'”
While the school district worries about the liability of the ritual, The Seattle Times reports Bremerton players and opposing teams are engaged in the prayer.
“It’s about unity. We can be mad at each other all we want during a game and get upset, but once the game is over, that all goes away,” Bremerton team captain Ethan Hacker says. “What (Kennedy) does brings us all together no matter how much we despise (one another).”
As Friday night lights ignite high school football, Kennedy has no intention of backing down.
“I tell my kids to be bold in their beliefs,” Kennedy tells the Times. “I want to set an example to stand up for what you believe in, even if it isn’t popular.”
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