Benzinga – A former public high school football coach in Washington who lost his job for leading prayers on the field after games will receive nearly $2 million as part of a settlement.
According to a recent statement from Bremerton High School, Joseph Kennedy, who coaches the school’s football team, will receive $1,775,000 after the Bremerton School Board voted unanimously for the payout.
Bremerton school board reaches nearly $2M settlement with praying football coach Joe Kennedy pic.twitter.com/ScVWP9yhMX
— The Patriot Hammer (@patriot_hammer) March 18, 2023
The school additionally asked Kennedy to return as an assistant football coach for the 2023 season. If he agrees, he will receive a stipend of $5,304.
“We look forward to moving past the distraction of this nearly eight-year legal battle so that our school community can focus on what matters most: providing our children the best education possible,” the school said in a statement.
Last year, Kennedy returned to his position as coach after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor in June, asserting that the school district had gone too far in attempting to eliminate any perception that it was endorsing religious principles.
“It is just incredible to know that I did nothing wrong. Everything I did was fine,” Kennedy said, according to The Daily Mail. “I had a commitment with God that I’d give him thanks after every football game, win or lose. And that’s the way I started out.”
In 2008, Kennedy began coaching at Bremerton High School, where he routinely prayed on the field after games for the next seven years. Soon after, students reportedly joined in his praying.
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