Colin Kaepernick took a knee before NFL games, and his response made national headlines. Kiersten Hening refused to take a knee before a college soccer game, and her response prompted a lawsuit.
Women college soccer players work extremely hard to get scholarships, and former Virginia Tech soccer player Kiersten Hening was no different. She won a scholarship to play for the Hokies and played on the team in 2018, 2019, and four games in 2020. Then, a major issue arose, as described here by Cleveland.com. “Before the game, a ‘unity statement’ was read in the stadium, in part, to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement following George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.”
Hening refused to take a knee with others, which had consequences. At halftime, Hening claimed that head coach Charles “Chugger” Adair verbally attacked her and put his finger in her face. He then removed Hening from the starting lineup, and eventually, she left the team.
In a lawsuit she filed in 2021, Hening contended that her coach’s actions violated her First Amendment rights to free speech and that she was being punished for conservative political views. Per Cleveland.com, “Hening said that while she ‘supports social justice and believes that black lives matter,’ she “’does not support BLM the organization,’ citing its ‘tactics and core tenets of its mission statement, including defunding the police.”
She won a settlement in the case, which included a $100,000 payment.
