As Nicholas Fant, a junior from Wake Forest-Rolesville High School, dropped to one knee for a two-second prayer before engaging the wrestling match, the referee penalized him. After a North Carolina athletics official agreed with the penalty, Christian-rights attorneys contacted the state officials requesting future assurance of religious liberty for student athletes.
For background, read God Praised by College Football Stars and also read Prayer in America: Hidden Faith, or Public? as well as Missouri Votes to Bring Prayer Back to School, Countering Atheists
The root issue is American Religious Liberty vs. Anti-Christian Totalitarianism
-- From "N.C. wrestler is warned after prayer" by J. Mike Blake, Charlotte Observer 2/14/13
Nicholas Fant, a junior wrestling in the 220-pound class during Tuesday’s first-round playoff loss to Cary, jogged to the center of the mat and dropped to one knee for a two-second prayer, which [coach] Hershey said Fant has done before all of his matches this season.
Cary’s Corey Daniels also was on the mat, but the wrestlers hadn’t been brought into the center circle yet.
The ref called to the scoring table that Fant would be given a stalling warning for delaying the match.
Fant had risen to his feet before the official finished relaying his call.
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From "High School Wrestler Penalized for Prayer" by Todd Starnes, Foxnews.com 2/15/13
NCHSAA Commissioner David Whitfield told Fox News the referee made the right call.
“When the referee called them to the center of the mat – at that point it’s time to wrestle,” he said. “By rule, the official was well within his rights to issue a stall warning.”
Whitfield conceded that referees do have some leeway.
But not all wrestling officials agreed with the call – including David Culbreth of the Southeastern Wrestling Officials Association.
“David Culbreth believes in God and on my mat – God gets two seconds,” he told Fox News, apologizing for speaking in third-person.
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From "Prep wrestler penalized for acknowledging God" posted at World Net Daily 2/25/13
In a letter, David A. Cortman and other attorneys in the Alliance Defending Freedom told the North Carolina High School Athletics Association it has “a constitutional duty to protect students’ First Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.”
“We do not believe that the NCHSAA fulfilled that duty in this case and we find the comments made by Mr. Whitfield in support of the NCHSAA referee’s actions deeply troubling,” said the ADF letter.
“Penalizing two seconds of prayer while allowing two seconds of waving at mom or shaking hands can only mean one thing: religious expression has been penalized, and that’s not constitutional,” Cortman said. “All sorts of activity are routinely allowed at athletic events, but when something is religious, suddenly it’s a problem for the NCHSAA.”
ADF has given the North Carolina group until March 6 to answer whether it will take steps “to ensure that students’ right to express their faith at school athletic events is respected in the future.”
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Also read The Media & Quarterback Tebow's Christian Faith
