Kiersten Hening Wiki – Kiersten Hening Biography
A federal judge has decided that a former Virginia Tech women’s soccer player can legally sue the team’s coach for benching her after she refused to take a knee at a social justice protest. Judge Thomas Cullen of the Western District of Virginia ruled December 2 that trainer Charles “Chugger” Adair may have infringed Kiersten Hening’s First Amendment rights by refusing to participate in the rally atop the Black Lives Matter movement.
The judge said Hening’s action, which claims Adair punished her for holding certain political views, will be allowed to proceed to trial. In a federal lawsuit filed last month, Hening said Adair disagreed with his political views and ended up paying a heavy price for it: In addition to being kicked off the team, she was also subjected to repeated verbal abuse, he says.
Kiersten Hening Age
Kiersten Hening’s age is Unkown.
Incident Detail
During a pregame reading of a “unity statement” on September 12, 2020, Hening said that many of her teammates took a knee before their game against Virginia, but she remained standing. She says that she was “verbally attacked” by Adair at halftime. Adair allegedly pointed a finger “right in her face” and said she was “whining and moaning.” Furthermore, Adair allegedly said that Hening was being selfish and individualistic by “doing his own thing.” ”
All of the starters, including Hening, were standing on the field at the time,” the lawsuit says. “While other incumbents took a knee during the unity statement to reflect [former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 protests] and express support for [the black Lives Matter movement], Hening stood stand up,” as quoted by Daily Mail.
She alleges that Adair reacted angrily at halftime, focusing on her rather than the other players left standing since she was not a scholarship athlete. “At the next opportunity, at halftime of the Virginia game, Coach Adair rebuked Hening for her stance,” the lawsuit added. He continued: “Coach Adair’s tirade was so extreme, so personally directed at Hening and so disconnected from the game itself, that her teammates reached out to her after her to comfort her and express her shock.”
In the lawsuit, Hening clarified that she “supports social justice and believes that black lives matter,” but said that she “does not support the BLM organization.” to that, she added that she disagrees with the “core tactics and tenets of his Black Lives Matter mission statement, including defunding the police.”
This anti-movement sentiment had previously surfaced in a series of private social media interactions with teammates. “Someone took a screenshot of some of these private messages between girls on the team and shared them with the coaching staff,” the lawsuit says. “Some of Hening’s teammates also saw the messages and were outraged.” Players on the team allegedly demanded that Adair address Hening’s social media statements in September 2020.
After the Virginia game, Hening was demoted to the bench, leading to her leaving the team entirely. The lawsuit says: “Coach Adair’s campaign of abuse and retaliation made conditions for Hening so intolerable that she felt compelled to resign. Hening did not want to leave.” It added:
As a result of his coach’s actions, Hening can no longer play the game he loves, despite having two more years of NCAA eligibility. This Court should vindicate Hening’s constitutional rights and grant him legal relief and equitable,” according to Daily. Mail. Hening is asking the court to order Adair to “undergo First Amendment training” in addition to unspecified monetary support for compensatory, punitive and nominal damages, as well as attorneys’ fees.
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