A common sight in Brevard, prayer on football fields cleared by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of a Washington state high school coach who lost his job for praying with students after football games, a ruling that could impact Brevard coaches who have long engaged in the practice.
The ruling is a win for students and coaches who wish to pray together before or after games, but critics worry it could pressure students who aren’t a member of the religious majority (or who simply don’t like to pray with others) to join in.
Others worry it could result in ostracizing of students who don’t pray.
Praying before or after games, or during practice, is a common event in Brevard, School Board member and former coach Matt Susin said.
“Every single team I've ever coached in football prayed after the games,” Susin said.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of Joseph Kennedy, a high school coach in Bermington School District. Kennedy, who had been at the school and prayed with players since 2008, was told in 2015 to stop praying as part of his “official duties” as a coach to avoid violating students’ religious rights.
Kennedy’s legal team argued that he was praying following games and had been disciplined for quietly following his own religious convictions by kneeling and praying by himself. They said players joined in on their own volition.
A lower court judge had found he had publicly prayed on the field after being warned not to.
Supreme Court sides with football coach who prayed after games. Here's a breakdown of the decision.
More on the case: Supreme Court backs praying coach Joseph Kennedy who knelt on the 50-yard line after games
In a dissenting opinion, the three liberal justices said Kennedy’s prayers had a coercive effect on students and allowed him to incorporate his “personal religious beliefs into a school event.” Other progressive organizations and political figures have agreed.
“This is a serious blow to the long-held principle that students have the religious liberty right to be free from school-sponsored prayer,” the American Civil Liberties Union wrote in a statement.
With its ruling, the Supreme Court has said a public high school football coach was protected by the Constitution to kneel and pray on the field after games. However, the ruling specified that it was “private speech” and the justices in the majority emphasized the fact that the coach prayed after the games were over when he was not responsible for students.
Constitutional lawyers told the Associated Press the ruling does not give school employees unfettered freedom to lead students in prayer during school.
The ruling also could have implications for the free speech of other school and government officials, including teachers who aren’t coaches.
Brevard Public Schools spokesman Russell Bruhn said the district hasn’t ever had trouble with coaches praying with students, and has not advised coaches on how to handle the issue.
“It really hasn't been something that we've had to give guidance on,” Bruhn said.
Summer sports: Find a 2022 Brevard County summer sports/cheer camp for your child
After Uvalde: Active shooter drills popular in Brevard Public Schools, but do they work?
More sports: First LIV champion Charl Schwartzel made more money in 3 days than any year on PGA Tour | D'Angelo
Other BPS officials acknowledge that prayer before and after games is common.
"It brings peace sometimes to a coach to say a prayer,” said Cheryl Shivel, athletic director for Astronaut High School in Titusville. “I'm sure the coach's intention was not to impose his religion; it was to seek peace and grace.”
Susin is a former football, wrestling, baseball and track coach while he worked as a BPS teacher. He was also a sponsor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which according to its website aims to “use the powerful platform of sport to reach every coach and every athlete with the transforming power of Jesus Christ.”
Susin said as a coach he was careful to ensure students didn’t feel pressured to pray or isolated if they didn’t participate.
“If you notice that a kid or two is not praying, and we've had that before, we usually prep it ahead of time to after the game is over,” Susin said. “We would have some parents or something with them. (There have been) other times when the most religious kid would actually say, ‘Coach, you pray with the team. I’m gonna go be with them.’”
Susin said the teams would pray for those who were injured and any player or family facing a problem.
“It's the only time I've ever seen two teams come together at the end of the game,” Susin said. “What we would do is we would kill each other. And then we would say, let's come together, both teams. Every single time we pray.”
Bailey Gallion is the education reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallion at 321-242-3786 or bgallion@floridatoday.com.
Support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Supreme Court decision supports prayer in high school sports
