Justice – at last!
An eight-year drama seems to be coming to a close after Joe Kennedy was officially reinstated as head coach of the Bremerton High School football team according to an announcement from First Liberty last week!
Hiram Sasser, Executive General Counsel at First Liberty Institute, shared the following statement:
“We are thrilled that Bremerton and Coach Kennedy are back together and we hope they go undefeated.”
Amen to that!
For those of you who have supported FPIW for a long time, you are probably very familiar with Coach Kennedy’s story, but it’s a feel-good win that we’re happy to write about!
For seven years (2008-2015), Coach Kennedy silently prayed on the 50-yard line after each football game. As the Daily Citizen notes, it was only after someone made a positive comment regarding Coach’s ritual that the Bremerton School District demanded that he stop. The school district notified Coach Kennedy that he was under investigation for allegedly breaking the “Religious-Related Activities and Practices” policy. Coach’s request for a religious accommodation which was denied. Thus, a years-long legal battle ensued, reaching the US Supreme Court in 2022.
FPIW filed an amicus brief in support of Coach, and in June of 2022, SCOTUS ruled in favor of Coach Kennedy.
FPIW is thrilled that Coach Kennedy finally gets to return to doing what he loves – coaching football and thanking God in public without fear of repercussion.
Coach Kennedy is a model for Christians not only here in Washington but across the country. We hope his story inspires each of you to live out your faith publicly even in the face of persecution!
