It’s humbling when people say Average Joe is a movie about my life when really, I think this movie is all about you. Well, you and the other 330 million Americans. 

You see, as a troubled kid who was tossed around by the foster care system, I found my purpose as a U.S. Marine. Protecting and defending our nation put to good use my natural stubborn streak. Being a Marine and a husband to Denise, the girl I knew I’d marry at nine years old, were my callings. Until one day, a new calling presented itself in the most unusual way—defending our most basic freedom as Americans, our right to exercise freedom of religion. 

After I retired from active duty, I agreed to serve as a leadership coach for the local high school football team in our hometown. I loved working with those kids. As a Christian, I would kneel at midfield and pray after every game; it was a promise I made to God to thank him whether we won or lost. I did this for years without fanfare, until one day, the school system told me to stop. 

Turned out, a compliment on my midfield prayer caught the school district’s attention, kicking off a firestorm that would persist for EIGHT years, taking my cause to the highest court in the land not once but twice. 

Imagine being at odds with your employer who is also your wife’s employer. Not to mention, my wife worked in HR. It did not go over well at home when I ultimately decided to sue the school system. In fact, there were many moments when it pushed our marriage to the brink. 

But, despite the hardships, and there were many, I felt a calling to defend my right—and YOUR right—to exercise our nation’s Constitutional freedoms. 

I asked myself, “When did it become un-American to pray?” 

The Hardest Fight

Looking back, it seems like it should have been easy to fight for the right to pray. The truth was, it was the hardest fight of my life—worse than what I’d survived in the middle East while serving in Operation Desert Storm. I had to summon up every bit of courage to stand up for my right to kneel in prayer. Ironic, right? But because it was one of the bedrock principles I’d sworn to defend years before when I became a Marine, I couldn’t quit. 

Despite the nasty hate mail, and the shunning we experienced in our hometown, and all the ridicule from the media, America was worth it—YOU were worth it. 

When we won the Supreme Court decision, it actually made you freer. Yep, turns out the court ruled to overturn the long-held “Lemon test” and in so doing it expanded the protection of the Free Exercise Clause. That means, you have more liberty now as a result of this ruling, not less. 

Leading up to the decision, we were in the media daily. The announcement of the court’s ruling was a literal media circus. It was a very uncomfortable place to be for a guy who considers himself an average Joe. (Now, you see what the movie is named for!) 

As you can imagine, the victory was bittersweet. While we were thrilled to win the fight of our lives, it’s been hard to get back to whatever normal is. We spent almost a decade of our lives dealing with the case, only to realize that we’re not quite to the finish line yet. 

This means … wait, let me quote one of my attorneys: “This is a tremendous victory for Coach Kennedy and religious liberty for all Americans,” said Kelly Shackelford, President, CEO, and Chief Counsel for First Liberty. “Our Constitution protects the right of every American to engage in private religious expression, including praying in public, without fear of getting fired.  We are grateful that the Supreme Court recognized what the Constitution and law have always said—Americans are free to live out their faith in public.” 

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty said, “We must always remember the importance of prayer in American life. … The Court’s decision to prevent the forced expulsion of voluntary prayer from public life is a major victory for all Americans who wish to discover and live the truth.” 

Right after the ruling, I realized the fight was not yet over. Turns out, most ordinary people don’t follow the Supreme Court. Nope, you and the other 330 million Americans are living your life, just like you’re supposed to, just like we did before all this happened. 

Average Joe

We realized we have to tell everyone that they have more freedom now, not less. That brings us to Average Joe, the movie. 

So, after years of dealing with our lives being turned upside down, someone suggested the best way of letting people know about having more freedom was to make a movie. After all, this story has more drama in it than a season of “Real Housewives” (or so I’m told —I only watch war flicks). 

 After we prayed about it, we agreed. But, I insisted that someone really good looking needed to play me and so we got Eric Close. 

Seeing Eric pretend to be me is weird, not going to lie. But he does an amazing job of showing what a knucklehead like me did when he found himself in a battle he never asked for in service to a country he loves. 

People need to see Average Joe because our freedoms are important. Our religious liberty is important. That’s one of the main reasons our country was founded, after all. Our founders believed our rights come from God—not a government. Talk about an important thing to be reminded of today! 

America is about freedom. We are more free today because some average Joe knelt on a football field in Bremerton, Washington years ago and said a private prayer. We are more free today because courageous lawyers defended my rights—and your rights. 

Because we are more free today, some smart people wanted to make a movie to tell you that your freedoms matter. 

 And, because we are more free today, I hope you tell other people about this movie and go see it together. 

Go see it by the carloads, please, because I want all of you to know we did this for you. For America. And for God. 

 We love you. 

 Signed, 

Joe Kennedy, An Average Joe.

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