UConn Rebukes Coach, says Jesus Doesn’t Belong in Football

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The president of the University of Connecticut publicly rebuked an assistant football coach for telling The Hartford Courant that “Jesus Christ should be in the center of our huddle.”

“Our employees cannot appear to endorse or advocate for a particular religion or spiritual philosophy as part of their work at the university, or in their interactions with our students” President Susan Herbst wrote in a letter to the newspaper. “This applies to work-related activity anywhere on or off campus, including on the football field.”

Ernest Jones, the team’s new director of player engagement, set off the religious firestorm last weekend after he explained how the coaching staff would encourage players to embrace their spiritual faith.

Jones, along with new head coach Mike Diaco, had previously worked at the University of Notre.

“Just because you come to the University of Connecticut doesn’t mean you won’t have the opportunity to pursue your faith,” Jones told the newspaper. “No, you’re going to be able to come here and love the God that you love. So we provide opportunities for them to grown spiritually in our community.”