A high school football coach in Tennessee was removed from a game after school officials received a complaint that he was praying with students.
Trey Campbell — an assistant coach and school resource officer at Northwest High School in Clarksville — was asked to leave during halftime on Friday (Sept. 5).
Officials said he crossed a line by praying with students on the sidelines.
Asked to Leave During Halftime
According to Clarksville Now and NBC affiliate WSMV, school officials received a complaint that Campbell was “proselytizing” during the event.
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Witnesses reported seeing him holding a Bible, quoting scripture, and leading prayers with players and students throughout the game.
In a statement, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System said concerns “were not about private prayer or personal religious beliefs,” but emphasized that “courts have consistently ruled that public employees may not use their positions to proselytize or promote religion in school settings.”
School vs. Coach’s Account
School administrators claim they asked Campbell to stop creating a disruption and put away his Bible.
According to the district, he refused, reportedly stating: “I can’t do it, won’t do it. My job is to save these babies.”
Officials say they tried a second time to de-escalate the situation, but Campbell left the game voluntarily. The matter remains under review, and he has been placed on leave from the school.
Campbell told Clarksville Now he was standing by his beliefs.
“I stood by my faith because that’s what I told my boys they needed to do,” he explained.
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Campbell added, “I told them I love them, but this was just the beginning of their journey with Christ, and that this is what it looks like when you are doing right by the Lord.”
Community Reaction
Some students and parents are rallying behind Campbell. “He was just reading to himself, and then people tried to come up to him, and he’s never gonna deny spreading the word of God,” Northwest High senior Alyssa Scholma told WSMV.
She added that school officials told Campbell to leave if he did not put his Bible down during halftime.
The Bigger Debate
Prayer in public schools has been a point of debate for decades.
While the U.S. Department of Education has said students and teachers maintain their free speech and expression rights, courts have also ruled that public employees cannot promote religion in their official roles.
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