Bearing the weight and responsibilities of three positions — Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) director, team chaplain and state director for Urban Ministries for FCA — Chette Williams has spent the past 16 years caring for Auburn University athletes as a father-figure, confidant and friend, being a former Auburn football player himself.
But according to a letter sent Aug. 18 to Auburn President Jay Gogue, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) says having a team chaplain leads to failure to “properly protect … student athletes’ rights of conscience and poses a high degree of risk of discrimination” for those who don’t want to participate or hear what Williams has to say.
FFRF, based in Madison, Wisconsin, claims it operates to “promote the constitutional separation between state and church” and accuses Auburn of giving Williams “special privileges and unrestricted access because he is a Christian clergyman.”
Not just privileges
It is true, Williams is a Christian. And it is true, he does go to practices, travels with the football team, holds weekly FCA meetings on Monday nights, teaches devotions and meets individually with players. But those are things he wants to do; they aren’t just “special privileges.”
“My hope and dream is that every one of these kids, coaches and all who are involved in athletics will come to Christ,” Williams told The Alabama Baptist in 1999 when he came on staff at Auburn.
He earned his master of divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and was ordained to preach in 1988. He later served as co-pastor of New Song Baptist Church, Mobile, and pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church, New Orleans.
Office questioned
Besides being football team chaplain, Williams serves as FCA director, a position he’s held since 1999 when then-Coach Tommy Tuberville helped initiate Williams’ position with FCA.
Williams is paid by FCA and works in an office within the athletic department’s student development center. The FFRF letter accused the university of giving Williams an office inside the university’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“It makes no difference if the chaplain is unofficial, not school-sponsored or a volunteer,” the letter stated. “Chaplains are given access to the team as a means for coaches to impose religion, usually Christianity, on their players.”
But according to Auburn players, Williams is a welcomed addition to the team and campus.
Former defensive back Rodney Crayton told The Alabama Baptist in a previous interview, “(Williams) can relate to what we’re going through. Even the really bad guys respect Chette. They act differently around him.”
At press time, no other letters were filed against Auburn.
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