Former football coach Joe Kennedy, who came under fire for praying on the field, wrote a book about his eight-year legal battle.

Joe Kennedy, a former Washington state football coach who faced backlash for publicly praying on the field, wrote a book detailing his eight-year legal battle with the Supreme Court.

In 2015, Kennedy lost his job as Bremerton High School’s football coach, even after administrators advised him to keep his on-field, post-game prayers “non-demonstrative” and away from the students.

Following eight years of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Kennedy, holding that respect and tolerance for all viewpoints—religious and nonreligious—are encouraged by the Constitution and our best traditions, not censorship and suppression. Kennedy prayed during a time when staff members at the school could talk to friends, make reservations, check emails, or handle other personal business. Kennedy quit as the football assistant coach after one game after being reinstated, and he also offered a prayer at midfield following the game. He claimed to feel alienated and as though he was in enemy territory, and he knew that this was the ideal moment for him to step down on his own terms.