Members of the East Brunswick High School football team stand yesterday outside the South River home of coach Marcus Borden, who resigned amid a controversy over his role in pregame prayers by his players.
Posted on 10/14/2005 12:59:10 PM PDT by Caleb1411
Marcus Borden walked into his office, turned off the lights and sat down in a chair.
Faced with the biggest decision of his coaching career, the veteran East Brunswick High School mentor closed his teary eyes. Twenty-three years of memories — some of which were scattered across the walls in photos and plaques — came flooding back in a wave of emotion.
Through the darkness, Borden could see the past. The future, however, was much less clear.
"I just looked around and around and I said, "I'm in a bind here,' " Borden recalled of the moments leading to his decision to resign as the school's head football coach last Friday.
"Everything this room represents, everything that's important, everything that I've asked these kids to do — and it's all being called out to the carpet. And I'm told it's gotta end. How could it end? What we do ends then. The tradition ends. How can I no longer be a
part of that tradition? I've helped carry it on and these kids have been a part of it."
For Borden, the act of leading and engaging in team prayer, one he inherited upon arriving at East Brunswick in 1982, is all about tradition. It's something, he says, those who have never played the game of football will ever understand. It's a tradition that is carried on by the majority of high school football coaches nationwide, according to Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association.
That tradition, however, is a violation of federal laws protecting the separation of church and state in public schools. Continuing that tradition after a teacher, several students and their parents filed complaints with schools Superintendent Jo Ann Magistro meant the district could be subject to litigation and Borden would be fired.
"If the kids want to pray, they can pray," board attorney Martin Pachman said. "But (school employees) can't be involved in leading it or encouraging it. If you want to sit over on the side and say your own prayers, that's fine, too, but you can't be perceived as being involved and participating in this religious activity because that participation goes back to the school district, which is an agent of the state, which just can't do it."
No matter how much Borden wanted to participate, a higher power — the U.S. Supreme Court — made it abundantly clear in a June 2001 ruling that school officials, including coaches, are constitutionally prohibited from leading, initiating or engaging in student-led prayer.
"Where are my First Amendment rights?" Borden thought as he waited for the final bell to sound, signaling the end of the school day.
Once students, including East Brunswick football players, cleared the hallways, Borden walked to the main office.
"I didn't want anybody to see me," he said. "The couple of people that did see me knew there was something wrong because it was obviously all over my face. I said, "I can't talk to anybody right now.' "
At the main office, Assistant Principal Les Szukics handed Borden a document outlining the district's policy regarding prayer in school. Students could pray on their own, without the encouragement or participation of school employees.
The last line of the document got Borden's attention.
"If I continue our tradition, it will be considered insubordinate," he said. "In teacher language, that means the end of your job. Szukics said, "We'll have to come down there (to the cafeteria for the pregame meal) and make sure nothing goes on.' He said basically, "Nothing's gonna happen today.' And I said, "Yeah, well, nothing is gonna happen today.' I took the papers and I said, "cause I'm not going to be there.' "
Borden walked out of the office, found defensive coordinator Glen Pazinko and told his assistant to coach the team that night against Sayreville. Soon afterward, Borden drafted a letter of resignation and e-mailed it to Athletics Director Frank Noppenberger. Borden didn't want his players to be worried about him. He wanted their focus on the game.
"Just tell them that I'm not here at the moment," Borden told Pazinko, "and let it go at that."
That's the way a brilliant 23-year coaching career ended for Borden, the reigning AFCA national Coach of the Year; the owner of a 116-100-1 career record including last year's Central Jersey Group IV championship; the recipient of USA Today magazine's 2003 national Caring Coach of the Year award; the founder of the Snapple Bowl, a charity all-star football game that has generated more than $150,000 for mentally and physically impaired children; the man who, as past president of the New Jersey Football Coaches Association, was largely responsible for altering the Garden State's playoff system and implementing overtime.
"The most important issue," Borden explained, "is I've made a stand on something I believe in and I'm hoping that I made a stand — not just for Marcus Borden — but I made a stand for every high school football coach in America. And if it means that much to me, and I hope it means that much to them, then somehow we can unite as coaches and see if we can make a change in the way prayer — if you want to call it that — is viewed."
Borden has until Oct. 20 — the next Board of Education meeting — to rescind his letter of resignation. Borden's players want him to return. Some wore their football jerseys to school yesterday. Others donned handmade T-shirts bearing messages that read "Bring Back Borden" and "We Want Our Coach."
The possibility of Borden, a tenured Spanish teacher at the school, returning to the sidelines is highly unlikely.
"It would be very difficult to go back when you don't have the support that you need," he said. "It's not a rash decision. . . . I guess you might say this was the last straw."
Borden twice went to court on behalf of the school board and also crossed the picket line during a 1984 strike as a nontenured teacher so that the football team wouldn't have to forfeit the remainder of that season.
"After 23 years at East Brunswick there are still some people who don't respect me for what I did," Borden said of not honoring the strike. "I put my reputation on the line. I risked my family, who were berated.
"I gave everything of myself. I bet you my family has probably suffered more from what I gave other people's kids than my own. I'm sure they would say that, too. They've also been bleeding green and white. You would think someone that's given so much of themselves would get just a little bit of consideration in the whole situation."
Borden, speaking publicly for the first time since his resignation, explained to his players yesterday the reason he remained silent for days.
"I have not made a public statement on purpose," he said. "I wanted to wait. I needed to think about everything I needed to say. I felt it was important that I did not run my mouth. I felt they would understand why, after I spoke publicly, I had to do what I did."
Borden said he believes the laws regarding student-led prayer in high school football need to be amended so coaches can participate. For 23 years, Borden and his team prayed in the locker room before games. He said grace before some pregame meals.
Leading grace earlier this season, Borden said, "Dear Lord. We would like to thank you for the food that we are about to partake. We ask that you especially take care of the victims of the hurricane (Katrina) because they certainly need food and water and the support of the rest of the country. We would like to thank our parents for providing this food. Amen."
Borden said he has received overwhelming support for his desire to continue the tradition of team prayer, even if it violates federal law.
"People are calling me and e-mailing me and telling me that they believe in what I believe in," he said. "They are proud to say that they know me, that I'm a man of conviction, that I will stand up for what I believe in, that hopefully I'm a voice for the coaches in this country who feel the same way, that maybe we can make a change."
Borden will apparently get a national forum to express his views. He has been contacted by ESPN's Outside the Lines and The O'Reilly Factor. Now that he's no longer coaching, Borden has plenty of time for interviews. He spent the past few days cleaning out his office.
"The kids come into that room to watch game film," he said. "The reality is going to set in for them as it has for me. You never figured you were going to clean your office out for this particular reason."
Borden said he "prays" none of his peers have to endure a similar ordeal.
Ping
That statement is a bald faced lie.
That means it's illegal to pray. I guess.
Why did it seem to take this country nearly 200 years to figure out what the framers of the US Constitution meant by the 1st amendment? It seems that even they didn't know what they meant since prayer continued in the halls of congress, justice, the white house, gov't institutions, and yes... even schools. Boy, it sure took us a long time to figure out what they meant. ;-)
later read/ping.
Noteworthy and relevant thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1502421/posts
Back to the Roots: The Founders and the Separation of Church and State
I wonder if they folks would be trying as hard to stop the prayers in school if the religion in question was Islam.
It is wrong, even harmful, for government to block traditional prayer. Sometimes it seems as if the culture wants to thwart its own survival.
As my favorite author, G. K. Chesterton, put it, "Religious liberty might be supposed to mean that everybody is free to discuss religion. In practice it means that hardly anybody is allowed to mention it."
Members of the East Brunswick High School football team stand yesterday outside the South River home of coach Marcus Borden, who resigned amid a controversy over his role in pregame prayers by his players.
Coach Marcus Borden talks through a screen door to team captains Mike Franchino, right, and Dan Acciani after team members gathered yesterday at Borden's South River home. Team members have rallied behind the veteran head coach.
nope.... they wanted him to deny he's a Christian....sorry. Small sacrifice for a greater purpose. When it comes time for our beloved courts/lawyers/legislators to ask you to deny the Lord, where will you "draw the line".
Think about it. Where do you say, "OK, I will give thanks for all that God has given me, because it was his in the first place, but I will deny him in public." He was asked to be a hypocrite. He was asked to get on his knees and worship the ruling of the school board, ACLU, court/lawyer and deny God.
He will be a better mentor and witness to the Lord by this one simple action. Millions of people will be witness to this act and some may be moved towards Christ.
I'm not as devout a Christian (hard time with forgiveness and temper control) and am much more aggressive .... he should have, in my opinion, said the prayer at the next pregame and let the school officials sanction him. He then could have pushed it to the point where they fire him and he makes them take him out in cuffs from his office. But that's the way of the eco-homo-anarchist-liberal-peacenik freak protesters. He chose to think about what was best for the team and made his choice to simply.... go.
I'm sure that Notre Dame could use an assistant coach of his caliber..... they might even let him pray at pregame.... of course that's if they still can pray at Notre Dame.
You might want to read what you said. You essentially stripped him of his First Amendment right to free speech.
LOL, you sound exactly like me! All I was suggesting was that he let the team lead the prayer which he is free to take part in. I also suggested in another thread that too poke a stick in the eye of the Godless freaks, the team ought to kneel on the field before each game and pray for 30 seconds. The QB could lead this prayer and nothing could be done. The coach and assistants on the side lines could of course join in. I don't understand how doing it this way would mean he was denying his being a Christian.
How did I strip him of his right to free speech?
The coach shouldn't quit, he should just keep on praying before the games like nothing happened.
Let the heathens bust him for this. That would start a ruckus that has been a long time coming.
Believers have got to come to grips with this fact: It is us or them. The atheists will take over the planet if we let them.
Just as it is for the Moose Limbs, so is it for the secular-humanist-atheist. Either fight back or give them the farm.
Same difference.
caddie
I played and coached football at my high school. We prayed before each game as well.
The Coach has put God before football as he should. Unfortunately, the players will now suffer because of those determined to destroy Christianity in this country.
He definitely should find a local Christian/Catholic school to coach. His reputation will draw the talent, money, publicity away from this godless school.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.