High School Football Coach Loses Gig, Placed On Leave After Carrying Bible, Praying With Players

An assistant high school football coach who is also a school resource officer (SRO) in Clarksville, Tennessee, was removed from the coaching staff over complaints that he was proselytizing to players.

Trey Campbell, a volunteer assistant coach for Northwest High School, was escorted out of last week’s game at halftime by the school’s principal after he was holding a Bible and leading players in prayer, according to local news outlet, Clarksville Now. Campbell, a deputy with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, was also placed on paid leave from his job as an SRO at the school.

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) said that it had received complaints about Campbell doing more than just leading players in prayer and was attempting to convert players to his faith while in his official capacity as a school employee. The school district said it is currently investigating the incident, WKRN reported.

“It’s my understanding that the concern was not with private prayer, but that the principal received a concern that an employee was proselytizing in their official capacity,” a CMCSS official added in a statement. “We will investigate, and I can share more when that investigation has concluded. We are not able to conduct interviews or comment further until after the investigation has concluded.”

The school district did not respond to a request to comment from The Daily Wire.

Montgomery County Sheriff John Fuson told Clarksville Now that the department “firmly stands behind any citizen who chooses to lawfully exercise their constitutional rights. This includes our employees.” Fuson added, “As a man of faith, I was equally concerned about the initial information regarding this and how it appeared to have been handled.”

The sheriff, however, acknowledged that “there are always two sides to consider,” referring to the school district’s review of the incident involving Campbell. The deputy was placed on leave for “a couple of paid days off to process all of this,” according to the sheriff. Fuson added that Campbell’s position as an SRO at Northwest High School has not changed. When asked to provide further details about the incident and where the sheriff stands on the issue, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office told The Daily Wire that it did not have any further comment at this time.

The issue over Campbell’s religious practices at the football game comes as President Donald Trump moves to protect prayer in public schools. Trump said on Monday that he has directed the Department of Education to “issue new guidance protecting the right to prayer in our public schools.”

“America has always been a nation that believes in the power of prayer,” Trump said. “Together we will make our Country greater, stronger, more united, and more faithful than ever before!”

The controversy in Tennessee shares some similarities to a major Supreme Court case that was decided in 2022, when high school football coach Joseph Kennedy was pressured by a public school system in Bremerton, Washington, to stop his practice of praying on the field after each game; a practice that many of his players joined. Kennedy’s contract was not renewed after the controversy over his post-game prayer, and the coach sued the school board. The case made it all the way up to the Supreme Court, which ruled 6-3 in Kennedy’s favor.

In a phone call with The Daily Wire, Marc Wheat, General Counsel for former Vice President Mike Pence’s organization, Advancing American Freedom, brought up the Kennedy v. Bremerton School District case. Wheat, however, said that the issue in Tennessee appears to differ from the famous 2022 decision based on what’s been reported so far.

“My understanding is that Campbell’s prayer time was during a game where the football players are there to be coached on strategy, tactics, getting them pumped up to go back on the field,” Wheat said. “So that’s pretty different from the Coach Kennedy case.”

Wheat added that an important question that must be answered is whether the players were required to be present and listening to their coaches when Campbell was exercising his faith. He said that the arguments for and against Campbell practicing his faith at the game could change as more information comes out about the incident. Another aspect that Wheat pointed out that could add to a legal dilemma is that Campbell was acting as a volunteer football coach, while his employment was with the sheriff’s department.

Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, director of the Conscience Project — a religious liberty advocacy group — told The Daily Wire that “often what’s reported isn’t what’s really going on” when it comes to religious liberty cases.

“Sometimes something becomes very sensational and school administrators often act, throwing the net wider than they should and disciplining people for exercising legitimate rights out of fear and ignorance,” she said.

“Obviously, there are elements to what’s been reported that look like religious activity was possibly going on during the game, during what would normally be the coaching of young people. And I think that’s where the record has to be developed more,” Picciotti-Bayer continued, adding, “There isn’t a problem unless there’s a level of coercion.”

Picciotti-Bayer said that new guidance from Trump’s Education Department could be vital for further protecting religious liberty. She said that she expects the guidance to allow school employees “to actually live your faith, say your prayer at lunch time. Maybe not over an intercom, but to let that be a part of your life. You don’t have to leave your faith at the parking lot of the school or the parking lot of the football stadium.”