Highlights: Fort Campbell high school football preseason jamboree
Fort Campbell hosted the Border Wars high school football jamboree Friday, with Kenwood, Northeast, Northwest, West Creek and Christian County also participating.
- Northwest assistant coach and SRO Trey Campbell left the Vikings’ Sept. 5 football game at halftime after being approached with concerns of him proselytizing in his official role.
- Throughout the day, Campbell exhibited behavior atypical of him, including quoting scripture on the sideline, leading prayers and holding a Bible on the sideline.
- A CMCSS spokesperson said that Campbell was not asked to stop praying, nor was he asked to leave the game by school administration.
Trey Campbell, an assistant football coach and school resource officer at Northwest, was escorted from the Vikings’ Sept. 5 game against Davidson Academy at halftime after school administrators approached him over concerns of proselytizing in his official role.
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office are currently investigating the incident.
Campbell spent “significant time throughout the game on the sidelines with players and other students, quoting scripture, holding a Bible up to spectators, and leading prayers,” CMCSS chief communications officer Anthony Johnson said in a statement to the Leaf-Chronicle. When Northwest administrators approached Campbell, he became “visibly emotional and confrontational,” per witnesses and video footage.
“Multiple witnesses stated that when asked to stop causing a disruption and to put his Bible away, Campbell stated loudly that ‘I can’t do it, won’t do it,’ and ‘my job is to save these babies,’ ” Johnson said.
Johnson said that school administrators told Campbell he was causing a disruption, but did not ask him to leave the game, which Northwest lost 35-0. Campbell chose to leave voluntarily, and a colleague with the sheriff’s office escorted him off campus.
Johnson said that Northwest administrators did not ask Campbell to stop praying in private, and that their concerns were not about religion.
“CMCSS fully supports and respects the constitutional rights of all students, employees, and visitors to practice their faith, including the right to pray privately,” Johnson said. “However, federal law and the U.S. Constitution place limits on the actions of public employees, including educators, coaches, and SROs, when they are acting in their official capacities.”
Per Johnson’s statement, Campbell exhibited behavior that “was inconsistent with those standards and with his normal conduct” starting the morning of Sept. 5. He told staff he was “walking in the Spirit today,” and throughout the school day, he carried a Bible while quoting scripture. When a student was tardy for class, Campbell excused that student because he had been in the cafeteria where Campbell was reading from the Bible.
“It is important to emphasize that all witnesses described this behavior as uncharacteristic of Campbell,” Johnson said. “Witnesses described him as “extreme,” “defiant,” and “unreasonable” on Friday, but also consistently noted that they had never seen him act this way before. Campbell has otherwise been an outstanding SRO, coach, and valued member of the Northwest High School community. He has built positive relationships with students, families, and staff, and has contributed to the safety and well-being of the school.”
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
