A female football player in the United States, who accused her coach of benching her because of her political views, will receive at least $100,000 under a lawsuit settlement, according to a report in Fox News. Kiersten Hening had filed the lawsuit in 2021 against head coach Charles Adair on First Amendment grounds, the outlet further said in its report. Her attorney Cameron Norris said the terms of settlement did not include an admission of wrongdoing by Ms Hening or the coach.
Ms Hening claimed she was removed from her position on the field and pressured to leave the team after she declined to kneel during a unity ceremony before a game in 2020. The coach, the football player further said, "verbally attacked her" at halftime and put his finger in her face, as per the Fox News report.
The Roanoke Times reported that the event was held to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement, after the killing of George Floyd.
However, lawyers for her team Virginia Tech said that Mr Adair's decision was solely based on Hening's poor performance on the soccer field.
"I am pleased the case against me has been closed and I am free to move forward clear of any wrong doing," the coach said in a tweet on Wednesday.
"It's unfortunate, but this ordeal was about a disappointment and disagreement about playing time. Today, we have clarity that this case lacked any standing, and without evidence, the truth has prevailed," he further said in the January 4 tweet.
Though he hasn't mentioned anything about the settlement amount, Ms Hening's lawyer replied saying, "If by clarity you mean you are paying my client six figures in a settlement then you're right that's pretty clear. Honestly, Coach, read the Court's opinion. You are paying. Defendants don't pay in cases that have no standing."
