Deion Sanders Pushes Back At Secular Group's Claims That Use of Team Chaplain is 'Unconstitutional'
Atheist activists have once again set their sights on NFL legend and University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders for incorporating faith-based practices into the school's football program.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a secular activist group based in Madison, Wisconsin, has taken issue with Sanders' decision to invite chaplain Pastor E. Dewey Smith to speak to the football team and offer a prayer after their win against Baylor University on September 22.
The group sent a letter to Colorado's Executive Vice Chancellor Patrick T. O'Rourke claiming Sanders' invitation was a form of "religious coercion" and violated the rights of players and staff who do not share the same religious beliefs. FFRF is demanding the school take action to protect the First Amendment rights of student-athletes.
"Sanders needs to understand that he was hired to coach football, not to force student-athletes to engage in his preferred religious practices. He must cease infusing the football program with Christianity," the group said in a statement.
But Sanders is pushing back.
First Liberty Institute, a non-profit legal group, is defending the head coach's right to invite a chaplain to speak as constitutional.
"FFRF fumbled the law," said First Liberty Institute Senior Counsel, Keisha Russell. "The United States has a robust and widely recognized tradition of both public prayer and chaplain programs dating back to the Continental Congress in 1776."
This rich precedent demonstrates that the University's program joins the long-standing American tradition that welcomes the participation of chaplains within a variety of America's public spaces—or, as the case may be, even a locker room. Coach Sanders and the University of Colorado should ignore FFRF's hail Mary," she continued.
The group added that the courts have upheld chaplaincy programs as constitutional in many different contexts including state legislatures, military chaplaincy programs, prisons, and hospitals.
First Liberty is urging O'Rourke and the school to ignore "FFRF's legally incorrect letters."
"We are confident that CU is well within its right to invite a chaplain into the locker room with its college athletes," reads their letter.
This isn't the first time the FFRF has targeted Sanders.
As CBN News reported last year, the group accused Sanders of "inappropriate and unconstitutional actions" after receiving complaints from Colorado residents over the handling of faith and football.
The group said Sanders has been "engaging in religious exercises with players and staff members."
In a letter to Chancellor Phil DiStefano, the group worried over "constitutional concerns" and "potential religious coercion through the football program."
As a result, the college's Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance met with Sanders to address issues, including "guidance on the boundaries in which players and coaches may and may not engage in religious expression."
In a Feb. 1 response, school administrators said 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."
However, Sanders, who is passionate in his love for Jesus, continues to glorify God on and off the field.
During an introductory press conference last year commemorating his position as new head at UC, Sanders praised God.
"Out of all the persons in the world, God chose me," Sanders said. "For that, I thank Him; for that, I love Him; for that, I magnify Him; for that, I glorify Him; for that, I praise Him; for that, I owe Him. Each and every day, I'm trying to please Him."
During an appearance on "Running Wild" TV show with Bear Grylls last November, "Coach Prime" began praying in the Holy Spirit when tasked with traversing down a cliff.
"I began to pray in tongues," he explained to viewers. "It's a language between me and God. He knows. But I wanted a direct line, direct contact so God could expedite this process and issue the piece that I needed."
After successfully scaling the cliff, Sanders shared his prayer to God. "I said, 'Lord, you didn't bring me way out here to end it. You don't play games. You never lied to me. You've never forsaken me; You've never let me down.'"
Sanders wrote on Instagram when sharing the clip, "The Lord didn't bring you this far just to leave you. Call on his name! He may not answer when you want, but he's always right on time!"
CBN News has reached out to the University of Colorado for comment. A spokesperson said they don't "have a specific statement on the matter."
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