Topline
Joe Kennedy, the Washington state high school football coach who thrust himself in the center of a Supreme Court battle over religion in schools resigned Wednesday, just one game into his first season after being reinstated by court order.
Joe Kennedy, a former assistant football coach at Bremerton High School in Bremerton, Washington, … [+]
Key Facts
Kennedy said on a personal website he runs that he was resigning from his position as assistant football coach at Bremerton High School to care for an ailing family member that lives out of state and because he believes “can best continue to advocate for constitutional freedom and religious liberty by working from outside the school system.”
Though he did not specify how, Kennedy said he now plans to “work to help people understand and embrace the historic ruling at the heart of our case.”
Forbes has reached out to the school district for comment.
Key Background
Eight years ago, in 2015, Kennedy was fired by the high school for overtly praying after football games in a way that the school district believed was in violation of the Constitution’s establishment clause, which establishes separation of church and state and prohibits the school from promoting any particular religion, the Seattle Times reported. Kennedy soon waged a legal battle, arguing that another part of the Constitution, the First Amendment, guaranteed him the freedom of religion to pray after games. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in June 2022 that Kennedy had a right to pray as long as he wasn’t coercing others to join him.
Tangent
After his first game back on Thursday, where Bremerton High School defeated Mount Douglas Secondary 27-12, Kennedy prayed at the 50-yard line with great fanfare, the Times reported. He received scattered applause, and no students or others joined him for the prayer. He subsequently hinted that he wouldn’t stick around in the position long, telling the Times, “I’ve gotten what I’ve asked for. Anything beyond that is just a plus.”
Crucial Quote
“Tonight was the milestone of where we wanted to get to for eight years,” Joe Kennedy told the Times after his first game following the Supreme Court decision. “What we asked for from the Supreme Court and all the courts was just to be able to be a coach and to be able to pray after a football game. Both of those were accomplished.”
Further Reading
Praying Bremerton football coach Joe Kennedy quits after one game (The Seattle Times)
Joe Kennedy returns to Bremerton High School football, prays following win (Seattle Times)
A football coach who got job back after Supreme Court ruled he could pray on the field has resigned (the Associated Press)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/09/06/football-coach-whose-prayers-were-at-the-center-of-major-supreme-court-decision-resigns/