After winning in the United States Supreme Court and in his first game back last Friday, Bremerton High School assistant football coach Joe Kennedy is stepping down. Kennedy made his announcement on his website on Wednesday.
Coach Joe Kennedy has resigned from Bremerton High School effective immediately. He cited multiple reasons for his resignation including taking care of an ailing family member out of state. Kennedy delivered his resignation to the district earlier today.
“I believe I can best continue to advocate for constitutional freedom and religious liberty by working from outside the school system so that is what I will do. I will continue to work to help people understand and embrace the historic ruling at the heart of our case. As a result of our case, we all have more freedom, not less. That should be celebrated and not disrespected,” said Kennedy.
“As I have demonstrated, we must make a stand for what we believe in. In my case, I made a stand to take a knee. I encourage all Americans to make their own stand for freedom and our right to express our faith as we see fit.”
“I appreciate the people of Bremerton, the coaches, staff and especially the students and wish them all well. Bremerton will always be home,” he concluded.
CoachJoeKennedy.com
In June of 2022, by a 6-3 vote, the justices ruled that Kennedy of Bremerton High School had the right to pray on the field immediately after games. Kennedy claimed that the school district violated his religious freedom by not allowing him to pray publicly.
Kennedy’s contract wasn’t renewed after the 2015 season. That year, the suburban Seattle school district asked the coach to stop praying on the field at the 50-yard line after games.
Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion, “The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike.”
This past March, the Bremerton School District announced that it was awarding $1.7 million to the coach, who was also reinstated for the 2023 season.
Last Friday, Bremerton beat Mount Douglas Secondary School 27-12. After the victory, Coach Kennedy spent about 10-seconds praying at the 50-yard line. According to media reports, no one joined the coach.
The school district issued the following statement following Kennedy’s resignation:
“The District has received Mr. Kennedy’s resignation and it is pending board approval at tomorrow’s regularly scheduled meeting. The District does not comment on personnel matters, so we will not be issuing any further statements.”
Bremerton School District
