After refusing to comply with orders to stop kneeling at the 50-yard line and praying after games, Coach Joe Kennedy was banned from participating in any Bremerton High School football programs. The first game he was sidelined for happened to be Senior Night, the night where senior players are honored for their contributions to the team.

Looking back, Kennedy, a former Marine of 20 years, says standing on the sidelines that night was “by far the hardest thing I’ve ever been through.” The Daily Signal visited Kennedy and two of his former players in Bremerton, Wash., to document his story and find out why he stood up to public school officials to defend his Christian faith.

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