Bremerton's praying football coach resigns after brief return

Assistant Coach Joe Kennedy has resigned after returning to Bremerton High School's football team for one game, and one final prayer.

In a statement on his website, Kennedy announced his resignation from the Bremerton School District, saying that he will focus on work outside of the school system for religious liberty. Kennedy just returned to the job after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in his favor that culminated an seven-year legal battle over his post-game prayers at the 50-yard line.

“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," Kennedy said.

Read Kennedy's full statement below.

When KUOW spoke with Kennedy last week, days before the game, he would not directly answer questions about any plans to stay in Bremerton. He did comment that he did not feel welcome in the district and that some officials refer to him as “the eight-year distraction.”

In his resignation letter, obtained by The Seattle Times, Kennedy alleged that the school district has taken actions to "diminish" his role and has engaged in retaliation.

"It is apparent that the reinstatement ordered by the Supreme Court will not be fully followed," Kennedy wrote.

Last week's home opener and post-game prayer will serve as the final page of a story Kennedy has been writing since 2015. After each football game, Kennedy would walk to the 50-yard line and kneel for a prayer. Students eventually joined him. As the post-game prayers grew, parents complained and some players reported that they felt pressured to participate, despite not sharing Kennedy's religious views. They said they worried that if they did not join him in prayer, they could lose game time on the field, and other teammates would be favored.

The school district spoke with Kennedy, offered to accommodate him and find a way for him to continue praying. This worked for about a month, as Kennedy prayed privately. He then returned to his on-field prayers, and let the press know about it. Kennedy also invited a state lawmaker to come to the post-game prayer and speak with players. Concerned by this, the opposing team's coach told his players to stay away.

Kennedy soon garnered headlines each time he knelt on the field. Satanists joined him with their own on-field prayers, in protest. Other protesters, and Kennedy supporters, filled the stands. After the games, supporters reportedly rushed onto the field, sometimes knocking over band members and cheerleaders in the process. Obscenities and confrontations were targeted at other coaching staff, and safety became a concern. District officials received hate mail and threats. Bremerton's football games briefly became less about the students and the sport, and more about a culture war unfolding on the field, led by Kennedy.

Eventually, amid the chaos at the games, the district placed the assistant coach on paid leave. As the 2015 football season wound down, Kennedy opted to not re-apply for an assistant coaching role, and left the job (he was not fired). With Kennedy absent, the post-game prayers ceased. No players continued the practice.

Kennedy then sued the district with help from First Liberty Institute, a Christian Conservative activist organization. That legal battle lingered for years and led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in his favor in 2022. Shortly after that, Kennedy got his assistant coaching job back.

The drama that unfolded from the field to the Supreme Court has now added up to a new book, "Average Joe: The Joe Kennedy Story," slated for an October release, as well as a movie that is in the works. Kennedy now lives in Florida and works as a public speaker.

Kennedy's statement on his resignation:

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.

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.