Michael Bonner

The Clarion-Ledger

STARKVILLE The Freedom From Religion Foundation is investigating the religious habits of Mississippi State about a week after the group questioned Ole Miss.

The non-profit organization, focused on ensuring the separation of church and state, filed an open records request to Mississippi State on Sept. 11, 2014. The organization requested information from Ole Miss on Sept. 3.

"We're trying to trace that and see the extent of the first amendment violations at a number of state schools around the country right now," FFRF staff attorney Andrew Seidel said.

Mississippi State didn't comment regarding the situation.

The request was based on records relating to chaplains Matt Jolley and Bill Buckley as well as the Mississippi State football program. A copy of the request, which was provided to the Clarion-Ledger, asked for the following information:

1. All Football Program, university, and athletic department policies concerning coach or clergy-led prayers for student athletes.

2. All related announcements to religious services, prayer gatherings, bible studies, Fellowship of Christian Athletes meetings, or other religious activities in which either Chaplain was involved.

3. All communications between Football Program staff and Jolley or Buckley.

4. All records related to the Jolley and/Buckley's travel with the football team.

5. All records related to financial payments or reimbursements made to them.

6. All job postings for the football program chaplains, or any other position primarily revolving around the spiritual development of football players.

7. Any other records related to the chaplain's official or unofficial football team duties or activities.

"It's not at all at clear that you're allowed to have a chaplain," Seidel said. "The only time the government is allowed to employ a religious person is when the government has burdened somebody's religious free exercises."

Seidel gave examples of military service or serving prison time in which the government is able to employ a religious position.

"Not only are there plenty of churches in the surrounding area, there are often churches right on campus," Seidel said. "There's no reason for the university to be aligning itself with Christian chaplains and giving them that position and that title, let alone paying them, which we're afraid might be happening in some of the cases."

Seidel said it is unconstitutional for state funds to pay for a chaplain, which extends to supplying travel and rooms on road trips.

While it only took a week for the FFRF to jump from Ole Miss to Mississippi State, the investigation didn't begin in Oxford. An open request sent to Florida State led the FFRF to MSU.

The organization discovered chaplains hired by former FSU football coach Bobby Bowden went to several other schools, including Mississippi State.

"We realized this chaplain issue was much broader than we thought," Seidel said. "…You can look and kind of see these chaplains sort of grew and spread and it appears to be from the FSU chaplain program."

Mississippi State responded to FFRF's open request and has requested a $1,700 fee in order to provide the information. HottyToddy.com first reported the inquiry by FFRF.

Buckley is listed as the District 4 and campus director of Mississippi State's FCA. He's a former All-Southeastern Conference wide receiver for the Bulldogs. Buckely didn't immediately return a call when asked to comment.

Jolley's Twitter account describes himself as the chaplain for MSU's baseball team.

"Even the very position itself is constitutionally problematic," Seidel said.