Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has been caught up in a fight over religious freedom three months after accepting the job as head football coach at the University of Colorado.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter of complaint to the university on Jan. 24 citing what it claims are "constitutional concerns with new football coach Deion Sanders' promotion of religion and potential religious coercion through the football program."
It states that the FFRF's mission is to protect "the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism."
The letter, signed by Christopher Line, FFRF's staff attorney, further added: "Multiple concerned Colorado residents have reached out to FFRF to report that CU's new football coach Deion Sanders has been infusing his program with Christianity and engaging in religious exercises with players and staff members.
"It is our understanding that on December 20, 2022, a staff member led other staff members in a Christian prayer to start an official meeting. More egregiously, on January 16, 2023, Coach Sanders directed a staff member to lead players and coaches in Christian prayer before a team meeting."
First Liberty Institute, a religious liberty organization, has also sent a letter to the university disagreeing with FFRF's claims, The Christian Post said.
"The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that public school employees may engage in religious expression and exercise; therefore, public universities like CU may not target Coach Sanders (or other members of the football staff) for exercising constitutional rights on campus," First Liberty's counsel Keisha Russell wrote in the letter.
"First Amendment protections to both public employees and students, neither of whom shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."
Russell said: "Coach Sanders does not lose his constitutional right to free exercise of religion simply because he is an employee of CU."
The Deseret News reported that the school has responded to the FFRF's complaint.
Patrick O'Rourke, the school's executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer, wrote that the school's Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance had a meeting with Sanders to discuss when and where coaches and players can get involved in religious expression.
"Coach Sanders was very receptive to this training and came away from it with a better understanding of the University of Colorado's policies and the requirements of the Establishment Clause," O'Rourke said.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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