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SALT LAKE CITY — An outside organization has requested that coaches associated with the University of Utah football team stop offering religious classes for football players, according to a letter mailed to the university's president.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent a letter to university Pres. David Pershing Monday requesting that graduate assistant and former NFL player Sione Pouha and Utah safeties coach Morgan Scalley stop teaching an LDS Institute class meant for players on the football team.

"The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution bars public-university employees from teaching religious classes to university students," the letter states. "The Establishment Clause prohibits governmental bodies from taking any action that communicates 'endorsement of religion.' "

The letter cites case law to back up its claims that teachers should not engage in religious education in a public institution, no matter the institution's access to religious classes.

"The University of Utah is bound fully by these decision even though it is a public university rather than a public elementary or secondary school," the letter states. "The Establishment Clause's prohibitions against advancing or endorsing religion apply as much to public colleges and universities as to grade schools and high schools.

"The need for religious neutrality is, moreover, especially strong when it comes to the coaches and staff of the college football team: student athletes rely on their coaches for playing time, scholarships, and the potential opportunity to become a professional athlete, making them particularly susceptible to pressure from their coaches to participate in religious activities," the letter continues.

Pouha and Scalley are both members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and started the classes in an effort to help some of the football players get a religious education as part of their university experience. LDS players as well as those from other faiths and denominations voluntarily attend on a regular basis, but are not mandated to attend.

Defensive assistant Sione Pouha led Utah football players in post-practice seminary teachings in Salt Lake City. (Photo: Chelsey Allder/Deseret News)

Americans United for Separation of Church and State associate legal director Alex Luchenitser said the organization is not trying to keep players from participating in religious classes, but that having paid employees by the university teaching the course is unconstitutional and violates the separation of church and state clause in the Constitution.

"Major college football is a highly coercive environment, so if religious courses are being taught and being injected into a major college football program, players are going to likely feel pressured to take part in these religious classes," Luchenitser said. "It's not an academic class at all. They're teaching the gospel in this class. That's clearly across the Constitutional line. All these players, if they want to go to church, they can go to church."

Utah spokeswoman Maria O'Mara said the LDS Institute class is not the only religious-affiliated class or offering available to student-athletes on campus.

"My understanding is that there are other religion classes available there — some of the non-denominational religion classes," she said. "There have been some other denomination classes where pastors come and offer to work with players once a week."

O'Mara said the particular class in question is taught by an LDS Institute of Religion instructor and that no one is compelled to go to the class.

"There are roughly 400 student-athletes that attend (the school) and roughly only 20 of them attend this class," she said. "It's completely voluntary. There is no expectation that anyone come. There is no requirement for anyone to be there and it is a class taught by an LDS Institute of Religion faculty member.

"My understanding is there are some coaches that sometimes attend and participate, but no, they're not paid by the university to attend or teach the course," she added. "They are there voluntarily, as are the students."

O'Mara said the university is working with in-house counsel to review the letter and the disputed class and will have a formal response to the organization within the requested 30-day time frame.

"I love it because the one thing that everyone has in common is there's so many things you can learn about football that can relate to the gospel, and vice versa. When you hear it in kind of a football term and then applying it to life, it's good to keep perspective," backup quarterback Chase Hansen said earlier this year. "You can lose it fast on a football field, you can lose it fast in a locker room. But when you come together as teammates and as brothers, you realize this is what matters.

"It's just an awesome way to stay motivated," Hansen added. "Sometimes it's hard when it's hot and you're out here in a helmet."

Junior offensive lineman Isaac Asiata, too, participates in the class and said he loves having the opportunity to attend religion classes.

"I've been going since I got back from my mission after practices. It's good and it's nice to get that message for the week and I'm grateful that we have an institute program over there because of coach Scalley," Asiata said earlier this year. "It's great to have the guys on the team that we have who share the same religion as I do and are able to share that experience at institute."

Asiata added that many players on the team who are not affiliated with the LDS Church like participating in the course.

"We have people come and go. I know over the years we've had a lot of players who aren't of the LDS faith who are just curious and they like coming in," he said. "Even though they're not investigating the church, they like the message and they like to get that spirit throughout the day."

Contributing: Paul Nelson, Alex Cabrero

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