Bremerton High School is known as an achievement award-winner among Washington state public schools. It is also known as being home to a legal battle involving a football coach and prayer that's gone all the way to the Supreme Court.

Joe Kennedy loves the team he coached on this field for years and still proudly sports the school colors.

"Everything! Even down to my T-shirt is Bremerton Knights!" he said when we talked to him recently. That pride turned to disappointment in 2015 when the school district suspended him for a different public display: prayer.

"At the beginning it was kind of awkward to me, because I was just giving thanks. And I had a couple of kids, and they came up and said, 'Hey, Coach, what are you doing out there?' 'I'm just giving thanks for what you guys did,'" Kennedy said.

Fired for Silent Post-Game Prayer

These "silent" post-game prayers on the 50-yard line caught on, spilling over to his players and even to opposing teams. School officials worried this might give the appearance that the district approved of Coach Kennedy's public prayers, creating a potential endorsement of religion. They eventually fired Kennedy, who calls that act a violation of his right to free speech.

"No one should ever have to choose between living their faith and their job," said Latan Watkins, an attorney with First Liberty Institute, which represents Kennedy.

Coach's Case Draws Both Supporters and Critics

His attorneys argue this case is about the First Amendment and American religious liberty.

"Coaches, teachers, students do not shed their Constitutional rights just by walking onto a football field or a public school," Watkins explained.

Coach Kennedy's stance has sparked passion, with big-name supporters weighing in, as well as critics who say he's just plain wrong. Dori Monson is a popular right-leaning Seattle radio host who's addressed the case on his show.

"To be a successful coach you have to bring a diverse group of kids together," Monson said. "I think once a coach starts imposing his faith in a public school, then I think you have a challenge bringing those kids together."

The issue hits close to home for Monson. As a Christian and former coach himself, he quietly prayed for his players during games. He cites concerns about the country's religious diversity in disagreeing with Coach Kennedy's approach.

"If my kids were playing on a sports team and that coach happened to be Muslim, I wouldn't want that coach praying with my kids. And so I felt like, as a Christian, it's not my responsibility to pray with the girls that I was coaching at the public high school," Monson explained.

Kennedy emphasizes his prayers were never mandatory.

Violation of First Amendment's "Free Exercise" Clause?

"I had some parents who said, 'I don't want my kid involved with that.' And I respected that. That is their right as a parent. And it was never a forced thing. It was never an asked thing."

Early this year, the Supreme Court declined to consider the case. Four justices, however, expressed potential interest if the case explored whether the school's demand for Coach Kennedy to stop praying violated his right to practice his religious beliefs based on the First Amendment's "Free Exercise" clause.

"We consider that little opinion our roadmap to victory in Coach's case, and we're going to follow that now," said Watkins.

The case is back in district court. And Coach Kennedy has returned to the football stadium to support the team – but from a different view. Now he's watching from the stands.

"I'm still thankful for being able to come here and we still got a team. I still see these young guys out here and seeing them out there praying still out on the [field]. So that's kind of cool," he said.

No Longer Bitter, But Planning to Fight On

While he misses the kids, he says he's no longer bitter about losing his job.

"I was blessed for eight years with these guys. And it was just awesome, and I look at my blessings instead of what I lost."

Still, as a former Marine, Kennedy says this is a fight that's bigger than him.

"Praying, I can do anywhere," he said. "The Christian side of me is, like, you don't take away my faith. Prayer makes no difference where you do it. But the Marine in me? It was like, yeah, I will fight for the Constitution and everybody's rights. It means something to me. I've got blood in that game." Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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