Deion Sanders sparks religious freedom clash with team prayer

Deion Sanders is again stirring up religious freedom clashes this season by incorporating faith-based messages into his football program.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation contacted the University of Colorado in late September to say that Sanders cannot allow his spiritual advisor to pray with the team.

“Using a coaching position to promote Christianity amounts to unconstitutional religious coercion,” the foundation argued.

But this week, another legal organization stepped in to defend Sanders’ actions and argue that the Freedom From Religion Foundation is misapplying the law.

Courts have long allowed sports chaplains as well as team prayers, according to an Oct. 14 letter from First Liberty Institute to the University of Colorado.

Deion Sanders Controversies

The same two groups — First Liberty Institute and Freedom From Religion Foundation — clashed shortly after the University of Colorado hired Sanders to lead the football program at the end of the 2022 college football season.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation argued that Sanders was illegally pressuring players to pray during team meetings, which prompted the University of Colorado to give Coach Prime additional training on rules regarding religious expression.

But that additional training led First Liberty Institute to raise concerns about free speech and to urge Colorado to clarify its approach to religious freedom on campus, as the Deseret News reported at the time.

The conflict ended without legal action being filed, but very similar questions are now being raised about Sanders’ conduct.

School prayer rules

The religious freedom conflict linked to the Colorado football program is not surprising if you have followed the school prayer conflict over the years.

Confusion is widespread over the rules for praying in public spaces, as religious freedom experts argue over when private religious expression becomes government-sponsored religious expression and when optional prayers become coercive.

In June 2022, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a praying football coach, saying his post-game prayers were a protected form of private expression, not coercive speech.

The case centered on him kneeling to pray on the field, and not praying in the locker room with the team.