A former Virginia Tech soccer player claims that she was fired in 2020 after refusing to participate in a unity ceremony for Black Lives Matter. In 2021 she sued, and the school settled the case with Kiersten Hening who will receive $100,000. Charles “Chugger”, Adair, the coach, has not admitted any wrongdoing.
Virginia Tech soccer player Kiersten Hening, who got benched for refusing to kneel, receives $100k from settlement.
Patriot 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/BaUgerhVva
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 8, 2023
The details were reported by The Roanoke Times:
Hening claimed she was forced to give up her starting position by Coach Adair when she refused to kneel during the unity ceremony at the 2020’s start. After the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, the event was held in part to support Black Lives Matter.
Tech’s attorneys countered that Adair was only motivated by Hening’s poor performance on the soccer field.
Tech’s arguments are flawed.
She noted that she was not a bench-sitter. She played the third most minutes on the team in 2019 and in 2020, her junior year. Henning also started 18 of the school’s 19 2019 games. She also points out her solid playing record, which was why the coaching staff chose to have her speak to the media before the new season.
However, Coach Adair is determined to insist that all of his coaching decisions were made in the hope of winning games.
— CoachChugger (@CoachChugger) January 4, 2023
He doesn’t mention the $100,000 settlement in his tweet. Adam Mortara, Hening’s lawyer, also saw this and responded:
If by clarity you mean you are paying my client six figures in a settlement then you’re right that’s pretty clear. Honestly, Coach, read the Court’s opinion. You are paying. Defendants don’t pay in cases that have no standing.
— Adam Mortara (@AdamMortara) January 4, 2023
And:
Kiersten Hening was benched for her free speech and you paying a giant settlement proves it.
— Adam Mortara (@AdamMortara) January 4, 2023
After George Floyd’s passing, sports were politicized. I can tell you from RedState reader comments that many of you still refuse to watch either the NBA or NFL. They went full-on awake, plastering arenas with social justice messages and even requiring statements to be placed on jerseys and helmets. This approach has a problem. It’s coercive. I don’t just want to hear your thoughts, but you must tell me. Or, you’ll make me racist and cancel my membership. This is not America, people.
It is impressive that the young woman didn’t bow to pressure and stood up for her rights, even at a great personal cost. Hening supports social justice and BLM, but not BLM’s stated goal to destroy the traditional nuclear family. However, she does not support kneeling during the national anthem.
It seems obvious that she was punished for her beliefs. The coach’s explanation was weak. My son played high-level basketball in high school, and I know that it can be heated. It can have a huge impact on a player’s future. In this instance, however, it is clear that she was a key player in Virginia Tech’s success with soccer and that her benching was due to her opinions, not her play.
She wins the last laugh.
