Joe Kennedy, the famed highschool soccer coach who was fired for praying on the sector and took his case all the best way to the U.S. Supreme Courtroom and received, has now resigned from his teaching place after just one sport again on the sector.
Kennedy was fired by his faculty district in 2015 over his follow of praying on the 50-yard line after video games. He contested his firing, and by 2022 the U.S. Supreme Courtroom dominated that his firing was unjust and he had a proper to his free spiritual expression.
Consequently, the college district gave Kennedy his job again at Bremerton, Washington’s Bremerton Excessive Faculty.
However now, after the college’s first sport of the season, Kennedy has abruptly resigned, claiming that the district didn’t hew to the Supreme Courtroom ruling and “diminished” his position.
“I’m completed,” Kennedy informed the Seattle Occasions on Wednesday.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be a picnic and it wasn’t,” he mentioned, insisting that his “position and obligations” throughout final Friday’s sport have been “not what I signed up for.”
He blasted the college in his resignation letter and accused district officers of retaliating towards him upon his return.
“It’s obvious that the reinstatement ordered by the Supreme Courtroom is not going to be absolutely adopted after a sequence of actions meant to decrease my position and single me out in what I can solely consider is retaliation by the college district,” he mentioned in his letter.
The resignation comes solely days after his group’s first sport of the season, after which he carried out his 50-yard line prayer, writing on Fb, “That’s one other W! After an 8 12 months authorized battle culminating in a win on the Supreme Courtroom, I returned to Bremerton Excessive Faculty as an Assistant Coach final night time and prayed at midfield, exercising my Constitutional Proper. Pleased to say we fought the great combat and completed the race. (2 Timothy 4:7),” he posted.”
Kennedy claimed he would proceed to work for spiritual freedom off the sector.
“I consider I can greatest proceed to advocate for constitutional freedom and spiritual liberty by working from exterior the college system, so that’s what I’ll do. I’ll proceed to work to assist folks perceive and embrace the historic ruling on the coronary heart of our case. On account of our case, all of us have extra freedom, not much less. That ought to be celebrated and never disrespected,” he mentioned.
“As I’ve demonstrated, we should make a stand for what we consider in. In my case, I made a stand to take a knee. I encourage all Individuals to make their very own stand for freedom and our proper to specific our religion as we see match. I respect the folks of Bremerton, the coaches, employees and particularly the scholars and want all of them properly. Bremerton will at all times be house,” Kennedy added.
Meegan M. Reid/Kitsap Solar by way of AP
Kennedy has already moved again to Pensacola, Florida, the place he and his spouse moved after he was fired in 2015.
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