The ACLU can go to hell and while they're at it STFU!!! Go Tigers!!
Posted on 11/28/2007 7:08:06 PM PST by Abbeville Conservative
Bowden accused of imposing religious beliefs on players ACLU wants Clemson to stop coach's annual team trip to local church
The American Civil Liberties Union has accused Clemson head football coach Tommy Bowden of abusing his authority by imposing his religious beliefs on his players, and it has asked the university to discontinue the coach’s practice of strongly recommending players to participate in an annual team visit to a local church.
The university on Wednesday denied the ACLU’s claim that Bowden, who is a state employee in a supervisory position, has violated the players’ constitutional rights of separation of church and state.
The coach used publicly owned team buses to transport the team to the church this past August but will no longer be allowed to do so, school spokeswoman Cathy Sams said. "From our standpoint, this has been resolved for several months."
Neil Caesar, vice president of the South Carolina chapter of the ACLU, said the organization plans to press the issue. "The ball’s in our court," Caesar said. "We just need to figure out what our response is going to be."
University president James Barker was out of town today and wasn’t available to comment, Sams said. Bowden was out of town and unavailable for comment, Clemson sports information director Tim Bourret said.
The ACLU filed a complaint with the university on Aug. 31. The complaint refers to comments Bowden made in The Greenville News in May in which the coach describes how he annually holds a "church day" for everyone on the roster and how one player’s mother asked her son to be excused from the trip.
Bowden, who frequently refers to his Christian faith publicly, said in The News that the player’s absence was "OK" and that "there’s no intent to make anyone feel uncomfortable or awkward."
Caesar said that Bowden "has abused his authority as Clemson University’s head football coach by imposing his strong personal religious beliefs upon student-athletes under his charge" and that the coach has created a situation wherein a player must "opt-out" of something that is being billed as voluntary, bringing undue attention to that player’s "apostasy."
Caesar questioned whether it would be acceptable if a Jewish or Muslim coach created an annual visit to a temple or mosque that players had to request to be excused from.
In a July letter to players’ parents, Bowden expresses his Christian faith and his belief that "a young man’s spiritual growth should be addressed, but done so in a very personal and private way."
The coach explains in the letter that "having said this, I strongly recommend attendance at a local church once per year as a team." In the letter, he instructs parents to call him if "this creates a concern for either you or your son."
In Clemson’s Sept. 21 response to the ACLU’s request to discontinue the church visit, university general counsel Clayton Steadman said "we decline to take this action and do not believe it is warranted."
The response cites Bowden’s letter to parents and states that "the voluntary nature of the event is made very clear to students and their parents." The university’s response points out that players have declined to participate in the past and none have been penalized.
The university didn’t receive any complaints it was aware of from players or parents, Sams said today.
Steve Lowe, president of the ACLU’s Piedmont chapter, said today that the ACLU didn’t receive any complaints from players or parents but looked into the issue after ACLU board members raised concerns.
Caesar said on Wednesday that while the university "does seem to be taking this seriously," the ACLU still believes that Bowden is violating players’ rights.
"A person who doesn’t want to do it has to actively take steps to opt out of it," Caesar said. "It’s not voluntary. It’s something you have to get out of."
He said that "Coach Bowden or anybody is allowed to be religious or express their religious preferences. How and when it might be done with student-athletes is an area that is kind of subtle and kind of nuanced and needs to be approached from that perspective."
The ACLU can go to hell and while they're at it STFU!!! Go Tigers!!
I believe the Georgia coach follows the same practice. It hasn’t seemed to have hurt his ability to recruit Muslim players. And I note that Richt is sending his son to play at Clemson.
I wonder if the South Carolina folks are behind this.
Hey ACLU, eat sh*t and die!
Could be a Coot U effort to hurt Tommy but I believe the ACLU jack a$$ behind the effort is a UVA grad.
Tall_Texan questions whether the ACLU would lift a finger in protest if a Jewish or Muslim coach ever did that since the only religion they seem to take offense at is Christianity.
If we wanted it, we would have created a miserable godless culture in the last four hundred years. We didn't ask for it, the ACLU is a pack of unamerican, intolerant, illegal usurpers.
Since the ACLU uses leftist judges to illegally rewrite law, destroy our legal precedents and legal understanding by the stroke of an activist pen, then all of their activities are illegal to the core.
these are terms I would ascribe to an idiot.
I didn't read the article. Was it one?
“...constitutional rights of separation of church and state.”
I’m still reading through the Constitution, but I’m not finding this constitutional right. I see an amendment where congress can’t pass a law establishing a religion, but nothing about a football coach taking his team on an optional visit to a church.
Plus, the players are over 18. They are ADULTS, so the being "forced" to go, or "forced" into a religion is absurd.
The only ones who got upset are the dishonest, political leftists in the pack of leftist lawyers known as the ACLU.
The ACLU hypocrisy and dishonesty is so disgusting that they should be disbarred.
When the Big Government Public Schools require attendance while pushing homosexuality, fornication, condoms, secular humanism and more, the ACLU doesn't peep, in fact they applaud the forced indoctrination. However, even when nobody complains about a voluntary trip to church by college students, the ACLU suddenly throws a fit and sticks they unwanted nose in to stir up trouble. Their tax free status should have been removed long ago, they are criminals who hate our country.
South Carolina Ping“I’m still reading through the Constitution, but I’m not finding this constitutional right.”
Did you forget to put on your pink colored glasses. In the BOR the 2nd. disappears when you put them on. Amazing!
Ah, well that explains it!
Seriously doubt USC is behind this.
We’re bitter rivals on the football field, but I imagine most USC fans would be behind us on this one....we are, after all, South Carolinians.
Much like we were behind them in their brief battle against PETA.
I get offended because the ACLU defends only selective rights of selective groups. They are not defending mine. I doubt Bowden tells his players to go to a specific church, rather he suggests that they seek guidance and solace from wherever they feel comfortable. Mark Richt goes on mission trips every summer. Is the ACLU going to step in that? I hate the ACLU. With the main stream media, they are a menace which is crippling this country.
Clemson is as much a part of South Carolina as USC. Divide and conquer.
This kid plays college football?
I've always thought of it more as part of greater Georgia. Even Richt is sending his son there.
Somehow, I just instinctively knew that...........
Better hold that thought. I live about 15 miles from the campus and we don't consider ourselves to be any part of Georgia.
If I one brother in jail and another brother in Georgia, I'd break the one out of Georgia first.........
‘Steve Lowe, president of the ACLU’s Piedmont chapter, said today that the ACLU didn’t receive any complaints from players or parents but looked into the issue after ACLU board members raised concerns. ‘
Says all that needs to be said.
And you’re not going to find one about separation of church and state either. That was made up out of thin air by a liberal court.
A bundh of damned stalkers!!!! Not in any way being an injured party, where do they get proper standing to bring suit???
Good question.
The ACLU seems to spend most of its time creating a problem that they can then sue over than it does anything else.
Wasn't Tommy the coach when they got into that huge brawl with South Carolina?
It's nice to see the university stand behind him though. They'll probably cave soon enough, but I hope not.
Well put. The ACLU is an illegal mob of lawyers who work as stalkers. They hate the America that Americans always loved.
The ACLU uses liberal judges and the liberal media (for the past fifty years) to selectively attack Christianity's freely chosen influence in this country.
They stalk their selected targets and cause a problem so that the problem will then be resolved by a liberal judge or judges who then rewrite American law, history and culture.
Then you will find a few leftists on Free Republic who fall on their knees and worship the ACLU criminal view of American legal interpretation. They are criminals.
That fight was started by Loose Boltz...I mean Lou Holtz’s thugs. He allowed some of his players to confront the Clemson players at the bottom of “The Hill” as they entered the stadium. This was a real no no and almost caused a fight before the game even started. The fact that Clemson was whipping the Gamecocks butts late in the 4th quarter was most likely what started the fight.
You guys have hit upon the $64,000 question: Has anyone retained the ACLU to represent them?
I’ll take your word for it. Bowden is definately a good guy. Didn’t mean to insinuate he wasn’t. And I’m a Gator so I’m not exactly predisposed to liking Bowdens. Good luck in the postseason.
FWIW I and about 1800 cadets sat through grace for every meal at Clemson each day.There was a Student Chaplain and he recited a Chritian Prayer like it or not.There were non Christian Students present and I don’t recall any objections.This practice ended when they integrated women intO Clemson in 1957.
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