The coach of a Lansing high school that faced controversy last year after punishing football players who knelt during the national anthem said kneeling players will no longer be disciplined.
Lansing Catholic High School’s 2018-19 student handbook outlines a student’s requirement to stand during prayer, the pledge of allegiance, and the national anthem.
But in a statement to the Lansing State Journal Tuesday, Lansing Catholic football coach Jim Ahern said the decision to not punish kneeling players was made last spring.
Ahern said that although the expectation is for students to stand, there will not be any consequences if they don’t.
The school faced public backlash after punishing four African-American football players who kneeled during some games last year. The team refused to start the players during some games.
Two of the players transferred to public schools because of racial tensions within Lansing Catholic High school.
Only one of four players who knelt last year is returning to Lansing Catholic High School in the upcoming semester. The other three are entering college.
