Joe Kennedy was fired from his position as an assistant coach in 2015 for taking a knee and praying on the field after games. The school district told him to stop, but believing he had the right, Kennedy continued praying. Some players joined him, but they did so voluntarily, and he did not tell them what or how to pray.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Kennedy should not have been fired.
"I wanted to coach football and be able to thank God afterwards," Kennedy told AFR this week. "It wasn't that big of an ask as far as I was concerned, and it just seemed ridiculous to have to go through a court system just to go over there and be thankful for a football game."
Kennedy admitted that there were days when he wondered if the fight was worth it, but he was reminded every day that it was; too much relied on it, he said.
"We're talking about the First Amendment of the Constitution," Kennedy, who was a Marine prior to becoming a football coach, told the radio program.
This season, Kennedy is coaching running backs and linebackers.
First Liberty Institute, the nation's largest non-profit legal organization dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans, represented Kennedy throughout his court battle. On the heels of his victory, attorneys have issued what the First Freedom Challenge.
Tonight, they are asking people to "take a knee with Coach Kennedy." The firm says it is a "simple yet powerful step we can take to restore faith in our schools" and communities. The hope is that it would help spark revival throughout the country.
