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.”

  • reddig33@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.”

  • Blackbeard@lemmy.worldM
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    1 year ago

    It was never about his job. It was always about putting Christianity back on a pedestal and the rest of us back in the shadows.

    Fuck him.

  • AbidanYre@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    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

    Damnit, he’s going to run for Congress.

  • SheeEttin@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

  • Zirconium@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    “can best continue to advocate for constitutional freedom and religious liberty by” ostracizing other religious beliefs and making those students feel uncomfortable

    • jprjr@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      This is the part that gets skipped.

      It wasn’t him just going out and saying a little, quiet prayer to himself. I wouldn’t give a shit about that, I don’t think anybody would. You do you.

      He was bringing a ton of students into the fold. The whole team was praying with him.

      He claimed that it wasn’t required or expected but come on. You know damn well if you were a player on the team and you’re the only guy not praying, you’re gonna have a bad time.

      • st3ph3n@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Something tells me that you would also have found yourself quickly dropped from the team.

    • Evie @lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Just Like the lady who recently claimed an LGBTQ couple wanted her business to serve them against her religious beliefs and then we all found out there was no such real customers? She had made up the situation to go to the courts and they still sided with her!!?

    • dingleberry
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      1 year ago

      Yet another alt-right podcast begins, sponsored by boner pills and protein powder.

  • inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    He’s always was just another Republican snowflake looking for attention, by doing what the Bible says not to fucking do btw, and money.

    Fuck this fake ass Republican bigot, racist, and honestly shitty fake ass Christian.

  • sucricdrawkcab@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    In other words “news” outlets are paying him more to be on TV as a mouthpiece. C’mon now buddy, almost everyone knows the hustle now.

  • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Wonder what happens if a coach bows and prays to Satan on the field, will his rights be respected too?

  • missveeronica@lemmynsfw.com
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    1 year ago

    This is actually common. My brother in law lost his state job when he enlisted in the National Guard. They claimed it was for another reason, but his issues with managing didn’t start until he announced he had enlisted. He sued, won and got his job back after boot camp. His first day back he turned in his 2 Weeks notice. For these cases it’s just proving the point and winning the right to go.out on their own terms.

  • JustAManOnAToilet@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    This is a very misleading article and leaves out the (key) first part of his statement:

    “[I]t is apparent that the reinstatement ordered by the Supreme Court will not be fully followed after a series of actions meant to diminish my role and single me out in what I can only believe is retaliation by the school district,” Kennedy wrote.

    They’re welcome to try to sue for defamation if he’s lying, but I suspect he’ll end up winning a pretty penny in a lawsuit of his own.

    • MicroWave@lemmy.worldOP
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      1 year ago

      You can compare what actually happened with what he said. From another article with more info on that:

      A divided Supreme Court ultimately ruled that Kennedy had a right to pray under free speech and exercise clauses as long as he wasn’t coercing others to join him.

      After the ruling, the district wrote a policy that allows coaches to pray while not actively supervising players if the coaches keep their distance from students when the prayers begin. After that, students can join if they choose.

      “I can’t tell them to or not to,” Kennedy acknowledged last week. “If they want to join, cool. If they don’t, cool.”

      No students did so at Friday’s game against the Mount Douglas Rams, from Victoria, B.C. A larger-than-normal crowd suggested Kennedy’s supporters showed up, but none stormed the field to join him in prayer, as happened at a 2015 homecoming game. A scattering of applause accompanied the coach’s kneeling at the 50-yard line.

      Kennedy quit his full-time job at the Bremerton shipyard before moving to Florida. With his newfound celebrity, he has a promotional website, a book coming out in October and a movie about his life in the works. He speaks to political and religious groups, and says politicians including Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, have courted him for his endorsement.

      Source: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/praying-bremerton-football-coach-joe-kennedy-quits-after-one-game/

      • JustAManOnAToilet@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Sure, there’s probably a lot of context missing from the posted article. However my main issue is if you’re going to report his statement then it’s a bit underhanded to cut out the main first part of it.

    • Sharkwellington@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      a series of actions meant to diminish my role and single me out in what I can only believe is retaliation by the school district

      Do we know what actions these are? Otherwise this quote is meaningless.

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    1 year ago

    He is free to do as he wants, just like everyone else. If he wants to pray, he can pray.