Some Ridgeland High School football fans are bucking the Freedom from Religion Foundation's complaint against expressions of the Christian faith.

At the first game of the season this past Friday, a number of Ridgeland fans were wearing a new black and white tee-shirt. It displays a football player on one knee, with the wording: Take A Knee and Pray with me. Also at the game against Calhoun in Calhoun, one fan showed up with a large Christian flag that he waved throughout the game, according to a Facebook page in support of Mariakis. The FFRE complained that Ridgeland Coach Mariakis was allowing too much religious expression in leading his student athletes.

The Walker County Department of Education released a statement last week saying that, in their opinion, "despite the FFRF's assertions, the coach has done nothing to violate the player's First Amendment Rights.”