Kiersten Hening used to be a star player on the Virginia Tech soccer team, making her name as a great student-athlete at a major state university. But then, with the death of George Floyd and the wokeness that came with it, that promising career came to a screeching halt.
Why? Because Hening’s coach, according to a lawsuit Hening filed in 2021, demanded that she kneel for the National Anthem. Hening, a patriot with a backbone, refused to do so. Because of her political disagreement with head coach Charles “Chugger” Adair, Hening was benched and removed from her starting position.
Unlike many others treated unfairly by the left during Covid and the George Floyd chaos, Hening didn’t go quietly. Instead, she hit back with a suit in federal court, alleging First Amendment violations on Adair’s part.
Adair apparently wasn’t confident in his position, or Virginia Tech just wanted to wash its hands of the matter, and so Hening just won a massive settlement, receiving $100,000 for her trouble. News on that massive settlement comes from Fox News Digital, which reported that:
A former Virginia Tech women’s soccer player who accused her coach of benching her because of her political opinions will reportedly receive at least $100,000 as part of an agreement to dismiss a federal lawsuit.
[…]Norris noted the terms of the settlement did not include an admission of wrongdoing by either his client or Adair.
There are no details of the settlement in court records, according to the outlet, but Norris said the agreement has to be approved by university and state officials before it becomes final.
Coach Adair gloated about not having to admit guilt in a post-settlement tweet, saying, in part, “I am pleased the case against me has been closed and I am free to move forward clear of any wrongdoing,”
Hening’s attorney fired back in a comment on that post, 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.”
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.
— Adam Mortara (@AdamMortara) January 4, 2023
Mortara then added to that attack on Coach Adair, saying “Kiersten Hening was benched for her free speech and you paying a giant settlement proves it.” Continuing, he said “We would like to thank you and your bosses at Tech for paying the equivalent of several years of tuition.”
Hening alleges that the incident, which led to her being removed from her starting position on the Virginia Tech Women’s Soccer team, occurred during the team’s game against UVA on Sept. 12, 2020. According to Hening, Adair “verbally attacked her” for not kneeling for the pre-game “unity statement”. She also alleges that she was pressured to leave the team because of the incident.
Specifically, the lawsuit alleged that “because she refused to kneel, he [Coach Adair] benched her, subjected her to repeated verbal abuse, and forced her off the team.”
Fox News Digital, adding more details regarding Hening’s situation and why she refused Adair’s demands that she kneel for the “unity statement,” reported that:
Hening explained in the lawsuit 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.”
Featured image credit: Kiersten Hening – Virginia Tech
"*" indicates required fields