A former Virginia Tech soccer player will receive $100,000 as part of a settlement after she accused her coach of refusing to play her because she would not kneel during a social-justice demonstration, The Roanoke Times reported.
Kiersten Hening filed a federal lawsuit in 2021 against her former coach, Charles "Chugger" Adair, claiming that her First Amendment rights were violated. She agreed to dismiss the suit as part of the settlement, which does not include any admission of wrongdoing on the part of Hening or Adair.
Hening claimed that Adair "verbally attacked" her at halftime of a game on Sept. 12, 2020, after she did not kneel while a "unity statement" was read before the game. She also said that she quit the team two games later and accused the coach of carrying out a "campaign of abuse and retaliation."
Hening also said that she "supports social justice and believes that black lives matter," but "does not support BLM the organization," due to its "tactics and core tenets of its mission statement, including defunding the police."
Attorneys representing Adair argued that he benched Hening due to poor performance. Adair said in a statement after the settlement agreement: "I am pleased the case against me has been closed and I am free to move forward clear of any wrongdoing.
"It’s unfortunate, but this ordeal was about a disappointment and disagreement about playing time. Today, we have clarity that this case lacked any standing, and without evidence, the truth has prevailed."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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