Biopic tells of legal fight, personal life of high school coach Kennedy fired for praying at games

Kennedy continued to take a knee in prayer after the games, which eventually cost him his job. His lawsuit went all the way to the Supreme Court, which sided with the coach.

By Kevin Killough

Published: October 11, 2024 9:32am

Updated: December 5, 2024 3:41pm

A new biopic on the high school football coach who was fired for praying at the end of games hit theaters Thursday.

Joe Kennedy, who had been coaching since 2008, would pray at the end of every game. According to The Daily Signal, in 2015, the Bremerton School District told Kennedy he could no longer pray with students, even though no parent or student had ever complained about the practice. Bremerton, Washington, is about 30 miles west of Seattle.

Kennedy continued to take a knee in prayer after the games by himself, and it eventually cost him his job. Kennedy sued, and in 2022, after a seven-year legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court, Kennedy emerged successful.

A documentary on Kennedy’s life, “Average Joe,” according to the Signal, goes more into depth on Kennedy’s personal life story.