Coach who won Supreme Court case over football field prayers now resigning

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Assistant high school football coach Joe Kennedy returned to the sidelines at Bremerton High School in Washington last week. The school district essentially fired Kennedy in 2015 after he refused to stop praying publicly on the 50-yard line after each game. The U.S. Supreme Court last year ruled that his prayer is protected under the First Amendment, and the school reinstated him as a coach earlier this year. Kennedy on Wednesday said he was resigning from his position effective immediately. He said his reasons for resigning included taking care of an ailing family member out of state.

What’s next for Kennedy? He and his wife recently moved to Florida and have traveled around the country to speak about constitutional freedom and religious liberty. On his website, Kennedy says he believes he can best advocate for religious liberty outside the school system. Kennedy is preparing for the October release of his book, Average Joe.

Dig deeper: Read Ray Hacke’s report in WORLD Magazine about Kennedy’s return to the field.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.