A national non-theistic organization has requested records concerning religious practices associated with The University of Mississippi football program.
Sam Grover, staff attorney for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, sent an open records request to the university on Wednesday after reading an article that ran in The Washington Post on Aug. 29. The article highlighted the role of religion in college football in the South.
Grover provided a copy of the letter to The Daily Mississippian.
“We would like to examine certain records related to chaplain John Powell and The University of Mississippi (‘University’) football program,” Grover wrote. “For the purposes of this request, ‘Football Program’ means the university football team, which includes all coaches and football personnel, paid or unpaid, who regularly access the team’s facilities.”
The letter, addressed to university attorney Lee Tyner, continues with seven specified requests ranging from policies concerning coach- or clergy-led prayers, schedules related to religious services, email communications between football staff and Powell, records related to financial payments of Powell and job descriptions of football program chaplains.
The foundation, based in Madison, Wisconsin, is a non-profit organization with the purposes of advocating the constitutional principle of separation of church and state and educating the public on matters relating to non-theism.
“The university is a public institution; it’s a state-funded university,” Grover said in a telephone interview. “As a state-funded university, it represents the government, and, therefore, it has obligations under the Constitution to remain neutral toward religion and to not promote or advance religion over non-religion.”
The Washington Post reported that every Sunday during the school year, members of the Ole Miss football team and head coach Hugh Freeze attend an optional Fellowship of Christian Athletes worship service led by Football Chaplain John Powell in the Manning Center. Players are not required to attend the weekly meetings or participate in devotionals and team prayers but are encouraged by coaches to join.
Freeze is publicly a devout Christian, often using his Twitter account to share Bible verses with his 73,000 plus followers.
The Ole Miss football team is not the first collegiate football team to be examined by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In April of this year, the organization sent Clemson University a letter, calling coaches’ endorsement of Christianity an unconstitutional crossing of boundaries separating church and state.
Grover said it was too early to decide if the organization would pursue a lawsuit against the football program. He said after receiving the requested records, his organization will analyze them and proceed accordingly.
“Just because it’s unconstitutional doesn’t mean that we can swoop in as an organization based out of Madison, Wisconsin, and sue,” he said. “We need someone there who’s affected.”
Football Chaplain Powell was contacted for a comment on the organization’s requests. He referred The DM to Assistant Athletic Director for Media and Public Relations Kyle Campbell. Campbell said a response was not available on Thursday night.
