Ex-Soccer Star Receives $100,000 Settlement from Virginia Tech for Refusing Coach’s Political Activism

A former Virginia Tech soccer player, Kiersten Hening, will receive $100,000 as part of a settlement in a federal lawsuit that she brought against her former coach, Charles “Chugger” Adair, The Roanoke Times reports.

Hening accused Adair, head coach of the women’s soccer team, of benching her for exercising her First Amendment rights.

The ex-soccer star alleged that Adair was not a fan of her political views and that she often differed from her teammates on social justice issues during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, according to The New York Post.

According to Hening’s attorney, Cameron Norris of Arlington, the settlement includes no admission of wrongdoing by either party.

Hening claimed that she lost her starting position after Adair became angry when she refused to kneel during a pre-game reading of a “unity statement” promoting left-wing politics in 2020.

She said Adair “verbally attacked” her at halftime, claiming she was “b–tching and moaning” while jabbing a finger in her face.

Hening quit the team two games later, saying in the lawsuit that she was forced out by her coach’s “campaign of abuse and retaliation,” according to Roanoke Times.

The soccer player’s 2021 suit against Adair alleged that it was “because [Hening] refused to kneel” that “he benched her, subjected her to repeated verbal abuse, and forced her off the team.”

Hening’s lawsuit claimed that although 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,” according to Fox News.

However, attorneys for Tech argued that Adair’s decision was based solely on Hening’s poor performance on the soccer field.

Adair said in a tweet, “I am pleased the case against me has been closed and I am free to move forward clear of any wrong doing.”

“It’s unfortunate, but this ordeal was about a disappointment and disagreement about playing time,” Adair went on to say.

“Today, we have clarity that this case lacked any standing, and without evidence, the truth has prevailed.”

The settlement, which must be approved by university and state officials before it becomes final, was reached after a motion by Tech to have the case dismissed was denied by U.S. District Judge Thomas Cullen.

Hening had also asked to be reinstated to the soccer team and to receive an unspecified amount of damages in her lawsuit, which was filed in March 2021.

She has since graduated from Tech and will not be returning for any athletic eligibility that may remain, according to Norris.

LATEST VIDEO