Wash. High School Puts Praying Football Coach on Administrative Leave

A Washington high school has reportedly placed its football coach on leave after the coach refused to stop praying on the football field following games.

Joe Kennedy, the assistant football coach of Bremerton High School, was placed on paid administrative leave this week after he refused to stop his practice of praying on the 50 yard line following his team's football games.

The Bremerton School District had previously ordered Kennedy to stop the post-game prayers, but Kennedy had refused.

"Effective immediately, pending further district review of your conduct, you are placed on paid administrative leave from your position as an assistant coach with the Bremerton High School football program," Superintendent Aaron Leavell of the Bremerton School District said in a letter issued this week to Kennedy.

"You may not participate, in any capacity, in BHS football program activities," Leavell added.

The announcement of Kennedy's paid leave comes after 47 members of Congress signed a letter calling on the school district to allow the assistant football coach to take to the field and pray following games.

The letter from members of Congress argued that the high school coach was not asking any students or parents to pray with him, but was rather taking personal time to observe his faith.

"The Establishment Clause exists to ensure that the government cannot affirmatively impose or elevate one religion over another. However, it does not prohibit the government from referencing religion altogether, nor does it require that government officials proactively scrub all references of religion from the public square," the letter reads.

"Rather, the Establishment Clause ensures both that the government does not show preference to a certain religion, and that government does not take away an individual's ability to exercise religion," the letter adds.