A volunteer football coach at a Clarksville, Tennessee high school has been removed from his position for praying on the field, sparking renewed debate about what role the Bible and prayer have in public school athletics.
Northwest High assistant football coach Trey Campbell reportedly brought a Bible and gathered his team in prayer around him during a recent football game.
Fearing that Campbell was blurring the line between personal faith and his official duties, he was asked to leave by school principal Brandi Blackley – an order he initially refused, before being escorted out at halftime.
Now, the coach is on leave and under investigation. So where exactly is the line between faith and football?
Does Prayer Belong on the Gridiron?
The school says that it has no problem with Coach Campbell praying privately at work. But they say that some interpreted Campbell’s prayers – surrounded by students – as coercive.
“It’s my understanding that the concern was not with private prayer, but that the principal received a concern that an employee was proselytizing in their official capacity,” wrote the district communications officer Anthony D. Johnson in a statement.
Campbell, however, doesn’t dispute that he was proselytizing to the players – just that it is legally wrong to do so.
“I stood by my faith because that’s what I told my boys they needed to do,” said Campbell of his football field prayers. “I told them I love them, but this was just the beginning of their journey with Christ, and that this is what it looks like when you are doing right by the Lord: The enemy does whatever he can to draw you from the Lord.”
Was it Coercive?
Exactly what unfolded that night remains contested. There are accounts that Campbell was leading students in prayer, and there are pictures from previous school events of Campbell doing as much.
However, one student says that the students joined the coach in prayer voluntarily. “He was just reading to himself, and then people tried to come up to him, and he’s never gonna deny spreading the word of God… “I think that’s being misinterpreted that he was leading a group prayer, which he was not.”
Private Faith or Public Pressure?
You may remember the case of Joseph Kennedy, a Washington state football coach who prayed with students on the 50-yard line.
In 2015, his school district asked him to stop praying, fearing that the very public nature of his prayers could be interpreted as a school endorsement of his Christian faith. Some of his players reported feeling pressured to join him and their teammates in prayer, fearing their position on the team could be at risk if they didn’t.
When he refused, Kennedy was fired. He took his case all the way to the Supreme Court, which eventually in 2022 ruled 6-3 in his favor. The Court decided he did nothing wrong and that it was a private display of faith that students just so happened to join in on.
That is the same argument being used today in defense of Coach Campbell. But is it truly private when a coach – the authority figure players depend on for approval – is the one praying?
And is all of this a privilege reserved only for Christians? As Ian Smith, an attorney for Americans United for Separation of Church & State, put things, “if this man had been Muslim and engaged in teaching Muslim religious teachings, these people would be going out of their minds.”
What’s your take? Should a high school coach be allowed to pray on the field, or can such actions coerce impressionable students?
52 comments
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Merlin
There is no place for this in public schools. Private religious schools operate under a different charter, but public institutions must remain neutral. A coach is an authority figure, and that position of power can easily create pressure for students to comply—just to keep their chance to play. Imagine if a student wanted to spread a prayer rug to face Mecca, or chose to perform a Buddhist chant—would the same respect and freedom be given? When a coach uses their role to display personal religious practices, it suggests a large religious ego and reveals deep insecurities rather than genuine leadership.
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Pastor George Day
How could prayer possibly harm, Merlin?
With a name like yours, I’d expect you to lead a witch’s sabbath!
No, no... God’s running the show!
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Rev. Mike Eggleston
The same way Christians seem to think Pagan practice can cause harm.
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Ari Joseph Bertine
To answer your question, please see the first article in this issue, re: witchcraft and hexing. Prayer is exactly the same thing and can be used for harm. When you petition any supernatural being, including a god, to do something that hurts anyone, that is baneful magick.
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Bond Wright
George: I think your comment "With a name like yours I'd expect you to lead a witch's sabbath". I consider this a personal attack against Merlin and a slander against the religion of Paganism. Some "Christians" love to fight for Jesus--they just don't want to listen to what he says. Rev. Bond Wright
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Douglas Robert Spindler
Sounds like this coach is incompetent if he's using prayer instead of teaching the kids the skills they need to win. We have seen God rarely if ever answers the prayers of coaches and players.
We can only pray the school board is going to fire this coach for using prayer to make his team better players.
Out of curiosity if the other team is praying as well which team is God going to root for and have win?
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ServantOfJudgement
I guess I'd think he'd pray no children were injured during the game. I wonder if any were.
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Pastor George Day
Douglas Robert Spindler
What if he's teaching both skills and prayer at the same time?
You all seem to work overtime finding new ways to hassle Christians!
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Bond Wright
George: Your comment "You all seem to work overtime finding new ways to hassle Christians" is, once again, insulting to everyone else. Hear this: Jesus taught love, unlike you. Therefore, I doubt you are really a Christian. Instruction: Re-read what Jesus said.
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Reverend Paula Copp
If you want to pray, do it in private. Do not do so publicly as to draw attention to oneself, for your reward is your publicity. (Paraphrased from the Old Testament). Prayer doesn’t belong in school. Ever.
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Pastor George Day
Reverend Paula Copp
I worry for you as you're marching straight to a land without divinity! We all know the fiery coordinates of that destination!
May you reconsider before encountering the boogeyman!
Love you, dear!
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Bond Wright
George: Your comment to Rev. Copp is flat out hostile and un-Christian. Therefore, you are already "in a land without divinity". I have read several of your comments to other pastors on this list. All hostile. Not rational, not friendly commentary nor intellectual rigor. And, therefore, boring. Perhaps it should be re-considered that what you have to offer is not up to the quality needed on this list. Rev. Bond Wright
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Lionheart
Bless his heart. I bet he thinks his god is going to help him score a field goal, in preference to helping children being healed from dying of cancer. Let’s hope his god gets his priorities right. 🤷
🦁❤️
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ServantOfJudgement
Down in Mexico a while back when another engineer and I spoke over dinner where he told me of a airliner captain in Europe who hit the headlines because he asked his passengers to pray as the plane went down. The engineer scoffed and shook his head in disbelief. I thought a bit, had a drink of beer and asked the natural question. 'Well, did the plane crash?'. He looked in shock and answered, 'No!'. I smiled and said, I guess the prayers worked then? And had another beer. It was all for my amusement but I wonder...did it?
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Pastor George Day
Lionheart,
There you go spinning the same scratched record again! Do you happen to have an entire collection of these classics?
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Lionheart
Great point, I need to create myself a repository of sayings to save my time creating text, a bit like those that keep spinning their own scratched records telling people to pray, or open my heart to find Jesus. 🤭
🦁❤️
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Brother Peter
It's nice to see some liberal thinking by the school administration in conservative Tennessee. Maybe it will spread to Texas (we can always hope).
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B/W Clerg. Clive Orlando Hessing
Prayer relieves pressure and stress
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Lionheart
So does mindful meditation, of which prayer is possibly more aligned with, but less the mythological rubbish.
Good thought though.
🦁❤️
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Rev. BH
B/W Clerg. Clive Orlando Hessing, "Prayer relieves pressure and stress". So does sacred ganja.
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Reverend Autumn Bailey
I feel that the government that has people putting their hands on a Bible and swear upon it for the truth, and are given no choice to swear the truth and the whole truth so help them God, should also allow any person anywhere public or other wise choose. This is The United States of America. Home of the free.
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Steven Lee Kidder
First amendment guarantees are right free speech prayer and football are as old as football itself everyone from high school coaches to the NFL pros
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Rev. BH
Steven Lee Kidder, pray in the locker room, if at all. On the field is for a television spot and YouTube clicks.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Bibles aren't used any more in court. The person lifts their hand and swears to tell the truth. To whom they attribute that truth is theirs to choose. This coach isn't giving the players a choice.
Also, for "official 'swearing in' ceremonies," the person being sworn in brings their own document they want to swear an oath to. Most will bring a personal Bible, or other religious document.
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James Riggle-Johnson
I thought the Supreme Court decided back in 2015 that a coach praying with his players was allowed. I don’t think the school will win this if it goes to court. My bigger concern is that no student should feel pressured to pray if they don’t want to. In fact, some kids in that 2015 case said they did feel peer pressure—but SCOTUS didn’t seem to care.
Praying on a football field isn’t the same as making kids listen to or read from the Bible in class, but the principle is the same: students’ freedom of choice has to come first.
Ps... Do they really think God is going to help them win a football game?
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Pastor George Day
James Riggle-Johnson
Finally, someone talking sense amidst this delightful gibberish!
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ServantOfJudgement
I'm sure the prayer was directed towards a good game with no injuries.
Who knows though, the prayer could have been selfish in nature as you suggest.
Your right though, precedence has been set, the coach will likely win any legal battle.
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James Riggle-Johnson
This SCOTUS isn’t concerned about precedent; they overturned Roe v. Wade after claiming precedent had already been established. I just think they are more interested in allowing anything related to religion, forced or otherwise.
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Bishop William Dusenberry, DD
As I pontificate, to members of my Secular Humanist Pantheist congregants, of the Universal Life Church, in Oklahoma. “Prayers work best when your players are big.” Soon teams now using prayers, will redirect their requests to be helped — so that they might win, will turn to Artificial Intelligence (AI) more so than they are already are, in order to be victorious; praise be to Nature (AKA, God).
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arawngraalrd
An important aspect of Football is Gamesmanship, and o carry the ball for God is a lot more important than carrying the ball for Cheer-Leaders. I recall when this wouldn't have been out of place in The Onion.
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Rev Ned
Praying to which god? There’s thousands.
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Minister Tim
Pretty sure most football teams have a locker room where they prepare for the game before coming out onto the field. How about praying in there? Why do it out in the open? Sounds like a spectator thing where coaches feel some kind of need to pray out in public for everyone to see. Not a Christian but have read their bible and pretty sure it says to make prayer private (something little Mikey doesn’t get). Just pray in the locker and avoid the controversy. If you have to have you prayers on the field then maybe it’s more “look at me” then praying to your god. Seriously, I don’t set up an alter outside for my spells. Locker room = no controversy and actually following your god’s teachings.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Agreed, and led by players not the coach with purely voluntary participation. Coach is outside the room and not able to see who participates and who doesn't.
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Troy David Grothe
prayer after football and many other sports has been a long standing tradition and only has been seen more because of the cameras on phones.
If you are afraid to show all and any that you have faith you may consider reading the passage below.
Mathew 10: 32-33 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven."
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Minister Tim
You are assuming my religion and as you posted something from your bible, you are assuming I’m christian. You are wrong. I’m pagan, a witch to be exact. And that’s the wrong verse for praying. I read your bible and prayers in public are not what is taught. Praying is supposed to be a private thing. So, the locker room is the appropriate place. Pretty sure folks would want me stoned if I publicly called upon the gods and goddesses.
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Roy S. Thorpe
I played high-school football and prayed before each game! The word is TEAM! We all turned out OK! Just a little prayer to keep us safe! All religions included!
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Ari Joseph Bertine
Anyone should be allowed to pray privately, anywhere.
Jesus defined private prayer as going into your room, closing the door, and praying by yourself.
Praying aloud in front of a group of people who consider you an authority figure and may feel compelled to join you, especially if you are literally encouraging them to join you, is a very public prayer with a high potential for coercion.
Prayer has never been taken out of schools--no one can stop someone from praying silently to themselves, because no one needs to know that someone is praying, at any time, in any place. If they do, that's on the one praying for not doing it privately. If it's private, you literally cannot get into trouble because no one is reading minds.
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Troy David Grothe
Apparently this school didn't hear that this whole debate was put to rest in which SCOTUS ruled 6-3 in favor of another coach named Joseph Kennedy against the Bremerton School District.
I am will assume that this school will be sued for reinstatement and reference the Kennedy case. It should never make it out of the District court level and should be a expedited case.
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Lion on the Beach
Parents this is another superb reason to give your children a tremendous gift that will benefit them for a lifetime. Remove them from public schools. They will thank you in future times.
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William Clifford
Whether the coach was right or wrong I’m not sure but, I really do think that God/ The power that’s out there, has a lot more to do in the world than juggle the scores of football games.
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Shawn Hutchison
I’ve grown tired of the “I’m offended by everything” crowd.nobody was forcing those players to join the coach.tired of all the political drama involving everything to.no need to make a spectacle of everything that goes in America.
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K. Doc Patterson
I guess if Jesus prayed with the masses, it would be no problem. But here’s an example or faith in humanity (Follower of Christ) vs religion beliefs (Fan of Christ). WWJD?
I agree with the school removing the coach for refusing to stop "praying" on the field. There is a time and a place for everything.
In what way does prayer cause harm to anyone?
Or any good?
Since it doesn't matter it shouldn't matter that he does it.
The prayer part or the promotion of a specific religion at a public event?
A coach is in a position of power. Likely the team members thought that they had no choice but to participate, even if they were told that it was voluntary. Not participating would have been viewed negatively by the coach and affected their participation in the game. Believe it. I've seen it happen.
Except the players admitted he did it alone and they joined him.... you should read what you're commenting on.
Quoted from the story: Campbell, however, doesn’t dispute that he was proselytizing to the players – just that it is legally wrong to do so.
“I stood by my faith because that’s what I told my boys they needed to do,” said Campbell of his football field prayers. “I told them I love them, but this was just the beginning of their journey with Christ, and that this is what it looks like when you are doing right by the Lord: The enemy does whatever he can to draw you from the Lord.”
As an adult in a position of power, whenever he prayed, they were expected to join him, regardless of whether he said it was voluntary. He also likely told them they could [voluntarily] leave practice if they didn't like the way he was coaching. Good luck playing any position except warming the bench if you don't [either way].
In public, doing a public activity, don't pray! You're not an idiot. You were trying to engage others in a religious act....on a ball field. If you can't see how ludicrous that is, you're a lost cause.
I agree