A high school football coach in Washington state who won his job back after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled he could pray on the field resigned Wednesday after just one game.

A high school football coach in Washington state who won his job back after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled he could pray on the field resigned Wednesday after just one game back.

Assistant Bremerton High School coach Joe Kennedy made the announcement on his website, citing several reasons, including that he needed to care for an ailing family member out of state. He had been living full-time in Florida, and before the first game last Friday he said he didn’t know if he’d continue coaching.

“I believe I can best continue to advocate for constitutional freedom and religious liberty by working from outside the school system so that is what I will do,” Kennedy wrote. “I will continue to work to help people understand and embrace the historic ruling at the heart of our case.”

    • ZapBeebz_@lemmy.world
      0·
      1 year ago

      What he is not free to do is require (or pressure) players on his team to take part in the prayer, or make it seem as though it is an officially endorsed action by the public school system. But he absolutely has the freedom to pray whenever he wants for whatever he wants.

      • bob_wiley@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        Prayer happens in the mind. Assuming he wasn’t making anyone recite stuff out loud, at best people would just stand their for a minute while he does his pre-game ritual or whatever. My family prayed before every meal when I was growing up. I just sat there and waited until they were done. I didn’t actively participate by praying, but I also wasn’t a dick about it.

    • YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      It wasn’t like that, he was forcing players to pray, they didn’t have to option to object or they would be kicked off the team.