Crowd Joins Christian Coach on Field for Prayer After District Bans Student Participation
ICC Note: As previously reported, Bremerton High School’s football coach was banned by the school district from allowing students to join him in post-game prayers. However, after last week’s game, many supporters from the crowd left their seats to join him on the field in prayer at the conclusion of the game. Although the coach agreed to stop leading prayers in the locker rooms, he maintains that he is doing nothing wrong in his post-game prayers because anyone joining him is doing so voluntarily.
By Heather Clark
10/19/2015 United States (Christian News Network) – A Washington football coach was surrounded by members of his football team, the opposing team and scores of supporters throughout his community on Friday as he knelt briefly to thank God at the conclusion of his school’s homecoming game.
As previously reported, Joe Kennedy, the assistant head coach for the varsity team at Bremerton High School and the head coach for the junior varsity team, had been prohibited by the district from allowing students to join him in his seven-year prayer practice, and planned to pray solo after last week’s game. But supporters wouldn’t have it.
“It’s ridiculous that he got in trouble at all,” Bremerton High School senior Cory Flournoy told the Seattle Times. “The students basically support the coach regardless of their religious beliefs.”
When Kennedy knelt down to pray at the 50-yard line at the conclusion of the homecoming game, he realized that he wasn’t alone.
“All of a sudden I feel all these bodies around me and I’m hoping they’re not kids,” he told reporters following the incident as he began to cry.
But it was—along with many others who had come off the bleachers to join him as he gave thanks to God.
“Lord, I thank you for these kids and the blessing you’ve given me with them,” Kennedy prayed. “We believe in the game, we believe in competition and we can come into it as rivals and leave as brothers.”
As previously reported, Kennedy said that when he began the practice in 2008, then praying on his own, several team members approached him and asked what he was doing.