From the 50-Yard Line to the Supreme Court — How a Marine Turned Football Coach Won Religious Liberty for All
Average Joe Is the Inspiring True Story of an Unlikely Hero Who Took a Stand Against Tyranny By Taking a Knee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 8, 2023) — When Coach Joe Kennedy became a football coach, he made a promise to give thanks to God after each game, no matter the outcome. What started as a simple act of thanks turned into an investigation by the school board and an attempt to silence one man’s freedom of speech and religion. Coach Kennedy soon became an unlikely champion of religious freedom. A former atheist, Kennedy never imagined he’d lead the defense of Americans’ First Amendment rights. He certainly didn’t intend to be at odds with his wife, who was the school district’s personnel director. But his love for God and country and his never-say-die courage landed the Marine in the fight of his life. After a seven-year legal battle, which went to the Supreme Court twice, Coach Kennedy not only won his case but set a precedent that will continue to protect First Amendment rights for generations to come.
Now, Coach Kennedy is sharing how God transformed his life and gave him the courage to take a knee while taking a stand for his beliefs in his debut book, Average Joe: The Coach Joe Kennedy Story (Salem Books, October 24, 2023) along with revelations about the case that will keep readers on the edge of their seat.
“Those prayers I prayed on the fifty-yard line after the Bremerton High School football games were never for attention, and certainly never to proselytize impressionable minors,” writes Kennedy. “As a twenty-year Marine Corps veteran who fought in the First Gulf War, I simply took issue with my constitutional rights being assaulted—the rights I had risked my life to support and defend against when I took my Oath of Enlistment.”
“What most people don’t know is that the Court’s final decision has much greater ramifications nationwide. His is the most significant victory for religious freedom in over fifty years … [as] the Supreme Court overruled another major case, Lemon v Kurtzman, which has been cited more than seven thousand times in the last fifty years and created hostility toward religious expression across America,” shared Coach’s attorney, Kelly Shackelford, from the book’s foreword.
“Thanks to Coach Kennedy, Lemon is now dead. Six of the Supreme Court justices agreed that it was not only an outdated method of judging religious expression, but now all seven thousand citations over the past fifty years have to be reconsidered. Where crosses were once torn down, they can now go back up. Where Ten Commandments displays were put into storage, they can now come back out. Where prayers were banned through the threat of job termination, workers can now pray again. This all happened because of one average Joe with a heart for God and his country who knew how to fight and to persevere, and knew the importance of the freedoms he fought for.”
In this compelling and inspirational personal account, Coach Kennedy invites readers into his life to experience everything from his troubled youth to his victory at the Supreme Court and will encourage them to stand up for their constitutional rights.
A film about his life, also titled Average Joe, is currently in production.
Coach Kennedy is available for interviews and can speak to:
- Fighting for our rights — Why free speech and religious liberty are worth fighting for
- Cancel Culture — How core Christian beliefs can become the center of controversy
- How to stand up for your beliefs even when faced with persecution
- What to do when faced with government overreach
Coach Joe Kennedy, a twenty-year Marine veteran, was an assistant coach for the Bremerton High School (BHS) varsity football team. Before he even coached his first game, the Marine-turned-football coach made a commitment to God that he would give thanks at the conclusion of each game for what the players had accomplished and for the opportunity to be part of their lives through football. This was met with disapproval from his school district and turned into a lengthy court battle. On June 27, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Coach Kennedy and his First Amendment right and on March 8, 2023, Coach Kennedy was officially reinstated as assistant coach and is excited to be back with his team. Joe and his wife, Denise, are parents to four and reside currently in Pensacola. A film inspired by his life is in development. He continues to speak across the country promoting freedom of speech. His new book, Average Joe, will be available for purchase nationwide October 24, 2023. Connect with him online at https://coachjoekennedy.com/.
