Who is Coach Joseph Kennedy And What Happened to Him?
Coach Joseph Kennedy, an eighteen-year Marine veteran, was an assistant coach for the varsity football team at Bremerton High School (BHS).
Before even coaching his first game, the Marine-turned-football coach made a promise to God that at the end of each game, he would thank God for the players’ accomplishments and for the opportunity to be a part of their lives through football.
Coach Kennedy dropped a knee after the last whistle of his first football game in 2008 and silently prayed, thanking God for his team.
His private, quiet prayers only lasted 15-30 seconds. For the next seven years, Coach Kennedy continued this practice after every game.
Coach Kennedy began giving short motivational speeches to players after games as time went on.
Those speeches occasionally included religious content and a brief prayer, but he never forced, required, or asked any student to pray, nor did he tell any student that participating in religious activities was important.
An employee of another high school mentioned the practice to the BHS principal seven years after Coach Kennedy’s first prayer.
Joe Kennedy, a football coach for the school district, has been fired because of a silent prayer. Because he conducted a quick, quiet prayer after football games, Bremerton High School (BHS) officials suspended and then fired football coach Joe Kennedy.
The First Liberty Institute filed a lawsuit against the school district, claiming that prohibiting coaches from praying privately solely because they are visible to the public is unconstitutional.
