I thought the NCAA stated very clearly that kneeling would only be voluntary and not mandatory... Ex-Virginia Tech soccer star sues coach, claims he forced her off team because she wouldn't kneel Kiersten Hening, 21, was a midfielder/defender for the Hokies from 2018 to 2020 https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ex-v...-claims-forced-her-off-team-she-wouldnt-kneel Kiersten Hening, a former Virginia Tech women’s soccer player, is suing her former coach after she was allegedly benched and forced off the team because she didn’t want to kneel during a pregame demonstration last September. Hening, 21, was a midfielder/defender for the Hokies from 2018 to 2020. In a federal lawsuit filed last month, Hening said that her former coach, Charles Adair, wasn’t a fan of her political views. According to the documents obtained by TMZ Sports, Hening said during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement last summer, she often had a difference of opinion from her teammates on social justice topics. In the lawsuit, Hening said that she "supports social justice and believes that black lives matter" but she said that she "does not support BLM the organization." Hening added that she disagrees with Black Lives Matter’s "tactics and core tenets of its mission statement, including defunding the police." Hening said during the pregame reading of a "unity statement" on Sept. 12, 2020, many of her teammates knelt before their game against Virginia, but she remained standing and she was "verbally attacked" by Adair at halftime. Adair allegedly pointed a finger "directly in her face" and said that she was "b--tching and moaning." Hening added that Adair said she was being selfish and individualistic for "doing her own thing." Adair continued to target Hening with verbal rants before benching her, the lawsuit stated. According to Hening, things got so "intolerable that she felt compelled" to leave the team. Hening felt like her constitutional rights were violated and she is now suing for an undisclosed amount. She demanded the judge to order Adair to get her back on the team, and to get acclimated with the First Amendment, the lawsuit says. In 2018 as a true freshman, Hening started 19 games, and she played 18 games in 2019. In the lawsuit, Hening says that she "played more minutes than any other player on the team."
As a former athlete (rowing / judo)...a new school and new teammates as a true freshman... She must be very stubborn and stupid to make negative waves with her teammates and coach even if she had the right to her opinions assuming she was not trying to get them to not kneel to support her views instead. I've seen freshman athlete stars try to convince teammates to take their personal views on life instead of just letting every one have their own personal views...its very disruptive to the team especially if its rubbing the Juniors / Seniors on the team the wrong way. If then wrongly booted off the team or she felt pressure to quit...pure stupidity to make it a legal issue to get back on the team with people that really do not want you there especially after getting the court involved. Best thing is to get an agreement from the school to allow you out of your scholarship (if she was on scholarship) so that you can transfer to another school even a competing school in the same conference without losing a year of eligibility for transferring. Hopefully she didn't do the stupid thing of quitting the team before securing a release from her scholarship if she was a scholarship athlete. That could really be what this is all about considering the NCAA are asswipes about enforcing eligibility rules. wrbtrader
By the way... she is a junior at the time this occurred. She is the team's top star who played the most minutes. I will also note that she was one to the top recruits --- multiple schools wanted to sign her after high school. Her complaint is not the only one from this team. Nor is she the only one who did not kneel -- but she was the leader on the team. Hers is just the first lawsuit on the issue. Coaches should not be abusing players who refuse to kneel.
[QUOTE="gwb-trading, post: 5371584, member: 9113" In 2018 as a true freshman, Hening started 19 games, and she played 18 games in 2019. In the lawsuit, Hening says that she "played more minutes than any other player on the team."[/QUOTE] Why did she wait until 2 years later to file a lawsuit instead of immediately bringing it up with the AD at the school.... She is suing to be back on the team but she already graduated after 3 years of playing. That makes no sense... The actions of the coach are wrong but the lawsuit smells fishy too...
The event occurred on Sept. 12, 2020. Currently it is a mere 7 months since the event now. As noted in other articles about the suit; she did bring it to the attention of the AD and school -- and received no satisfaction. Hence the lawsuit for violating her rights. With demands for corrective action by the school.
First, I thought the article said she was a true freshmen but now it seems the incident happen when she was a true freshmen and she's now a Junior...thats 2 years later. I will suspect there's a hidden reason involving eligibility as in that she doesn't want to lose her years of college eligibility. This is not uncommon and happens often in college sports. What's rare is the quitting aspect before securing a transfer without losing eligibility or without securing a return back to the team without losing eligibility. Believe it or not...the issue will go to the NCAA (they're assholes about stuff like this) if its really about her eligibility to compete considering she's now a Junior at a school that doesn't want her back on the team...reason why she took them to court to get back on the team. What I don't understand...usually schools in the same conferences tend to have similar degree programsd at least when I was in college...maybe different today with all the re-organization in the conferences. Simply, she should have transfer immediately for her Sophomore year considering other schools are interested in her talents instead of waiting for this to become a big stink in her Junior year in which the NCAA will be forced to get involved. I think she's trying to get back one of her lost years of eligibility so that she can compete when she becomes a 6th year Senior. As stated...this happens a lot in college sports involving top athletes. Yet, they usually transfer quickly to better environment and chalk up the prior school as a bad experience especially with today's what the NCAA calls "transfer portals". Such didn't exist when I was in college when I had a falling out with my coach. wrbtrader
The article clearly states "Hening said during the pregame reading of a "unity statement" on Sept. 12, 2020, many of her teammates knelt before their game against Virginia, but she remained standing and she was "verbally attacked" by Adair at halftime." The incident occurred a mere seven months ago in her junior year.
I understand the issue. I just don't think you understand the NCAA rules towards a scholarship athlete that quits a team prior to protecting the scholarship and eligibility regardless to the reasons for quitting. The NCAA are asswipes about such even if you're in the right. Simply, she's clearly trying to protect either her scholarship, eligibility to play or both to ensure she has another year to play college sports "after" her Senior year even though right now she's just a Junior...they refer to it as a 5th year Senior or in some rare situations involving injuries...6th year Senior. There's an easy fix. It's called graduate school in which she can play if she still have eligibility years to still play while as a graduate student due to losing a year of sports due to graduating early, lost a year due to injury or lost a year because she quit the team. wrbtrader
Ok I was thrown by her age but yes it was her junior year. I remember when a few NBA players said they did not want to kneel but supported the general cause and stood there holding hands with their teammates or had a hand on their shoulder. Coach did not need to go all fucktard on her and this is a state school to boot. The kneeling was not for the actual BLM organization which she said she did not support but for the idea in general so not sure why she made a big stink about kneeling if it was not for what she was not in favor of.... but still she has the right to not kneel. She still has 1 year of eligibility and as wrb mentioned, a judge cannot force her back on the team if she quit....not sure what the university can do for her if the coach is still there and still wants to harass her and not play her...also what do her teammates feel?
Yes... but she is not suing on the grounds of being allowed to transfer. Under the special rules for COVID the NCAA has removed regulations blocking transfers without losing eligibility. There is a NCAA blanket waiver currently allowing all transfers. So a transfer is not the issue -- especially since the university is not blocking her transfer. She is asking to be placed back on the team and have her scholarship restored. And demanding the coach and the university be educated on first amendment rights and the NCAA regulations that protests cannot be mandatory.