Note: This article may contain commentary reflecting the author's opinion.
Former Virginia Tech soccer star Kiersten Hening joined Fox News’ Laura Ingraham for an interview Tuesday night to discuss the massive $100,000 settlement she received after settling a lawsuit with the coach who benched and then kicked her off the team for not kneeling for Black Lives Matter.
Hening, who was a midfielder for the Hokies from 2018 to 2020, filed her suit against her coach, Charles “Chugger” Adair, on grounds that he violated her first amendment rights and discriminated against her based on her political views.
In the suit, the midfielder said that she “supports social justice and believes Black Lives Matter,” but ”does not support the BLM organization” thus she did not kneel alongside the rest of her team.
The trial for the lawsuit was set to take place later this month, however, it was canceled after the university settled with Hening.
“Personally, I didn’t feel like I needed to kneel in order to support something,” Hening said about the incident back in 2020. “Personally, I felt like I could stand and be in support of something.”
“Personally, I think that the kneeling was very synonymous with the Colin Kaepernick movement and BLM movement, and I didn’t feel like I needed to,” she told Ingraham, adding that her coach called her out for not kneeling. “It didn’t feel good… I kind of I do my job and, you know, I was there for the love of the game and the love of the school,” she said. “And to me, putting on that jersey meant so much to me, and to be called out like that, it was pretty harsh.”
Virginia Tech Soccer Star Who Refused to Kneel For BLM And Got Kicked Off Team Gets Massive Settlement
In response to the settled case, the coach released a statement saying, “I am pleased the case against me has been closed and I am free to move forward clear of any wrongdoing.”
The coach also implied throughout his statement that Hening was a bad player writing, “They know my coaching decisions are based purely on getting our team in a position to win.”
“It’s unfortunate, but this ordeal was about a disappointment and disagreement about playing time,” the coach said. “Today, we have clarity that this case lacked any standing, and without evidence, the truth has prevailed.”
In response to the statement released by Adair, Hening shared that the picture painted by the coach, of her being a bad player, is inaccurate: “I don’t think that’s accurate. No. I think that the numbers speak for themselves.”
“In that sense, I think [the judge] summarized it perfectly,” the soccer player said. “I think I averaged 74 minutes my freshman year and 88 minutes my sophomore year, so there was definitely a significant decrease in playing time with no real explanation as to why.”
With the conclusion of this case, Hening is finally able to get the closure she needs and can share her side of the story. The protection of freedom of speech is paramount to ensuring a free society. This settlement is just one example of brave Americans standing up for that principle and refusing to back the movements of the woke left.
You Can Follow Sterling on Twitter Here
Former Virginia Tech soccer star Kiersten Hening joined Fox News’ Laura Ingraham for an interview Tuesday night to discuss the massive $100,000 settlement she received after settling a lawsuit with the coach who benched and then kicked her off the team for not kneeling for Black Lives Matter.
Hening, who was a midfielder for the Hokies from 2018 to 2020, filed her suit against her coach, Charles “Chugger” Adair, on grounds that he violated her first amendment rights and discriminated against her based on her political views.
In the suit, the midfielder said that she “supports social justice and believes Black Lives Matter,” but ”does not support the BLM organization” thus she did not kneel alongside the rest of her team.
The trial for the lawsuit was set to take place later this month, however, it was canceled after the university settled with Hening.
“Personally, I didn’t feel like I needed to kneel in order to support something,” Hening said about the incident back in 2020. “Personally, I felt like I could stand and be in support of something.”
“Personally, I think that the kneeling was very synonymous with the Colin Kaepernick movement and BLM movement, and I didn’t feel like I needed to,” she told Ingraham, adding that her coach called her out for not kneeling. “It didn’t feel good… I kind of I do my job and, you know, I was there for the love of the game and the love of the school,” she said. “And to me, putting on that jersey meant so much to me, and to be called out like that, it was pretty harsh.”
Virginia Tech Soccer Star Who Refused to Kneel For BLM And Got Kicked Off Team Gets Massive Settlement
In response to the settled case, the coach released a statement saying, “I am pleased the case against me has been closed and I am free to move forward clear of any wrongdoing.”
The coach also implied throughout his statement that Hening was a bad player writing, “They know my coaching decisions are based purely on getting our team in a position to win.”
“It’s unfortunate, but this ordeal was about a disappointment and disagreement about playing time,” the coach said. “Today, we have clarity that this case lacked any standing, and without evidence, the truth has prevailed.”
In response to the statement released by Adair, Hening shared that the picture painted by the coach, of her being a bad player, is inaccurate: “I don’t think that’s accurate. No. I think that the numbers speak for themselves.”
“In that sense, I think [the judge] summarized it perfectly,” the soccer player said. “I think I averaged 74 minutes my freshman year and 88 minutes my sophomore year, so there was definitely a significant decrease in playing time with no real explanation as to why.”
With the conclusion of this case, Hening is finally able to get the closure she needs and can share her side of the story. The protection of freedom of speech is paramount to ensuring a free society. This settlement is just one example of brave Americans standing up for that principle and refusing to back the movements of the woke left.
You Can Follow Sterling on Twitter Here