U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) says the out-of-state atheist group coming after Auburn’s baseball team is one of the “woke groups that hate God and America.”
The senator is responding to the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s (FFRF) recent statements against the Auburn University baseball team. The organization is asking the college to stop allowing coach led prayers on campus and to get rid of baseball uniforms that have Latin crosses on the backs and “Jesus Won” written on the front.
“We again urge Auburn University to take action to ensure that its coaching staff and sports programs cease violating students’ First Amendment rights,” the group said in a letter to the school.
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Tuberville, who coached Auburn’s football team from 1999-2008, defending the university and argued that FFRF purposefully misinterprets the First Amendment.
“Our great country was founded on the freedom of religion, not freedom FROM religion,” Tuberville said in a statement to Yellowhammer News. “It’s no surprise to see woke groups that hate God and America come after Auburn’s baseball team for displaying their faith on practice jerseys.”
FFRF claims a family member brought the issue to their attention.
“They observed that non-Christian students would likely feel out of place and unable to refuse the coach’s expectations for players to kneel and pray or wear team gear with the cross and ‘Jesus’ written on it,” FFRF said.
This isn’t the first time FFRF has targeted Auburn, complaining in 2018 about the football team football Chaplain Chette Williams, who they say is a university-employed chaplain who has proselytized and prayed with the football team.
Tuberville believes team chaplains provide a needed service to many of the players on the team.
“Hiring the first-ever team chaplain at Auburn University is one of the best things I ever did in my coaching career,” he said. “I saw the positive impacts of offering spiritual support for my players and am glad that Auburn has continued having team chaplains for its student-athletes. I commend Auburn’s baseball team, and hope they’ll continue to stand firm for their beliefs.”
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
