BREMERTON, Washington — A Bremerton, Washington, high school football coach suspended for praying on the field after games has filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Coach Joe Kennedy, assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach at Bremerton High School, claims the school district violated his rights by prohibiting him from kneeling at the 50-yard line and praying silently after games. The district also retaliated against him for exercising his freedom of religion, Kennedy claims.
Kennedy began working part-time at Bremerton High School as an assistant coach in 2008. His personal, postgame prayer sessions eventually attracted players, fans and other coaches — all joining in voluntarily. School officials in September 2015 told him he could pray, but his prayers should not be “outwardly discernible as religious activity.”
(BP)
Share with others: