Written by Don Byrd
Accused of violating the separation of church and state by – among other things – requiring his players to attend pre-game meals featuring religious messages, Walker County (GA) high school football coach Mark Mariakis is being defended by school officials who claim his conduct is lawful and that future events will not feature religious messages.
In his letter, [Superintendent Damon] Raines says there’s no evidence that the coach ever mocked the Mormon faith, as the Freedom from Religion Foundation claimed. And Raines said Mariakis doesn’t lead prayers before and after games.
“Our review of this matter did not find any basis for your contention that Coach Mariakis has led or been active any in pre-game or after-game prayers,” he wrote. “Any pre-game or post-game prayers will not be led by, organized by or participated in by any System employee or anyone other than students.”
Before moving forward, Gaylor said the foundation will forward Raines’ response to the person in Walker County who brought the issue to the group. And she expects that more people could come forward.
You can read the letter from Raines here.
