A tempest over religion and football at Idaho State University appears to have subsided with athletic officials apologizing over mandatory church services for players.
After a week of accusations from former football players that they were required to attend weekly on-campus devotional meetings and an annual "mandatory church day," ISU Monday offered multiple apologies and said such activities will end."We were absolutely wrong . . . wholly wrong," said ISU athletic director Randy Hoffman.
That appears to be enough for former player Robert Ford, an all-conference defensive tackle who threatened to go to court.
"I have decided not to pursue it," he said. "I accomplished what I set out to do as far as I know . . . simply because of what Hoffman said."
Ford said he had spoken with Boise attorney Bernard Zaleha, who has taken cases for the American Civil Liberties Union.
Ford said he had considered pursuing the matter legally last season, "but I chickened out."
He disagreed with football coach Brian McNeely's comment Monday that no players had approached him with concerns about the religious meetings.