A national nonprofit is considering a lawsuit against a Mississippi school district after a football coach baptized one of his players.
Ryan Smith — the football coach for Newton High School — was speaking to his players about manhood in September when the baptism occurred.
“He made a decision that a man’s supposed to make,” Smith said during the recorded encounter. “He accepted Christ as his savior.” Smith then could be seen dunking the teen’s head into a plastic tub of water.
The baptism did not occur on school grounds.
While many people were supportive, the Freedom from Religion Foundation — which advocates for the separation of church and state — is considering suing Newton Municipal District for what it believes to be a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
“When a school’s football coach organizes and leads a baptism with his players, students on the team will perceive the religious ritual to be unequivocally endorsed by their school. This appearance of school sponsorship of a religious message violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” the Freedom From Religion’s attorney, Sam Glover, wrote to the school district.
The district defended the coach’s actions in a press release.
“The baptism of a Newton Municipal School District student did not occur on school property or during school hours, thus the District feels that this is a private matter for that student,” Virginia Young, superintendent of the Newton Municipal Schools, said in the statement.
The players who watched the baptism were there by their own accord, Young said.
