STARKVILLE — A week after launching an investigation into the religious practices of the football program at Ole Miss, a Wisconsin-based group named Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has set its sights on Mississippi State’s athletic department.
FFRF, a non-profit based in Madison, Wisconsin, aims at protecting the separation between church and state. According to its website, the FFRF “works as an umbrella for those who are free from religion and are committed to the cherished principle of separation of state and church.”
According to an open records request filed Sept. 11, the FFRF seeks information on religious practices with the MSU football program, with the focus centering around team chaplains Matt Jolley and Bill Buckley.
“We are looking into suspicions that there are things going on at this public university that go beyond what’s permitted under our Constitution of separation of church and state,” FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor told the Starkville Daily News on Monday night.
Among other things, the request sent from the FFRF sought information regarding all announcements to religious services, prayer gatherings, bible studies, Fellowship of Christian Athletes meetings, or other religious activities in which either chaplain was involved; all program policies regarding coach or chaplain-led prayers for student-athletes; and records involving finances, travel, reimbursements, and communications between members of the MSU football program and the two chaplains. The request also asked for job descriptions and postings regarding the chaplains.
“We’re trying to trace that and see the extent of the first amendment violations at a number of state schools around the country,” FFRF staff attorney Andrew Seidel told The Jackson-Clarion Ledger on Monday.
MSU didn’t comment on the situation.
The request from the FFRF regarding MSU came eight days after the organization filed a similar request with Ole Miss. In that inquiry, the foundation’s investigation centered around Ole Miss football chaplain John Powell. FFRF asked for emails between Powell and Ole Miss student-athletes.
“The problem with football chaplain is that it’s a direct endorsement by the football team, which is a part of the university,” FFRF attorney Sam Grover said. “The problem comes when it’s the university that’s getting involved in promoting religion. In this case (Ole Miss) it appears the university has a football chaplain who is directly involved with the lives of the players. We will know more after the open records request, but it appears this chaplain is there to promote religion and a particular brand of Christianity to the players.”
The lists of requests from the FFRF were virtually identical in both cases.
Both Mississippi universities don’t pay their football chaplains from public funds. The chaplains are employed by a non-profit organization called The Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The FCA is a privately run student group of Christian athletes across the United States.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.