The Bremerton School District in Washington State has awarded former high school football coach Joseph Kennedy a $1.7 million compensation after he was fired for conducting prayers with his players. Kennedy will receive $1,775,000 in salary from the district, along with a $5,304 stipend for his assistant coaching duties during the 2023 football season. Kennedy has also been granted permission by the school to return to Bremerton High School in order to take on the role of assistant coach.
In a statement, the district stressed how ready the school community is to move forward and concentrate on giving their pupils the finest education possible. Following almost eight years of court cases, the settlement enables both sides to finally move past the disagreement.
This settlement comes after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Kennedy by a vote of 6-3 in June 2022. Kennedy’s constitutional right to kneel with student-athletes and offer prayers on the field after games was upheld by the court.
Kennedy thanked and expressed his relief at the decision, saying he felt vindicated and that everything he had done had been adequate. In 2008, Kennedy started praying by himself on the 50-yard line following games, and eventually, his teammates started to do the same. He also led the players in prayers in the locker room and gave quick, spiritually tinged motivating talks.
However, a few athletes complained to the school board in 2015 that they felt pressured to participate in Joseph Kennedy’s prayers. Kennedy stopped praying in the locker room, but he still prayed after games on the field. Because he had broken district policies, he was put on paid leave and not brought back for the next season.
Kennedy persisted in his efforts to defend his right to pray with his players in spite of the setback, which eventually resulted in a ruling in his favor by the Supreme Court and a settlement with the Bremerton School District.
