Ridgeland football coach Mark Mariakis reads a prepared statement Wednesday afternoon concerning the recent allegations of illegal prayer with his team.
Read moreJudge to county: Prayer ‘litigation is not over’
Walker County, Ga., school officials said Ridgeland High School isn’t violating athletes’ First Amendment rights and the football team will continue to have student-led prayers and church-held meals before games.
At a news conference Wednesday afternoon at the school, Walker Superintendent Damon Raines said he took a complaint lodged against Ridgeland by the Freedom From Religion Foundation seriously and looked at whether football coach Mark Mariakis was doing anything wrong.
The advocacy group’s complaint accused the coach of taking athletes to church where a Christian message was preached, of leading postgame prayers and pressuring team members to attend a Christian football camp, along with other accusations.
But Raines said he believes Mariakis is only using motivational speeches to encourage the athletes to display upstanding character on and off the field.