Louisiana College President Denies Discrimination Lawsuit Filed By Jewish Football Coach

The president of a Southern Baptist college denied a lawsuit’s claims that he refused to hire a football coach applicant because of his Jewish heritage.

Louisiana College president Rick Brewer released a statement Friday that said he had been "vilified and determined guilty by certain persons from across the nation," according to the Associated Press.

"I am not nearly as upset as I am hurt. I feel wounded by such reactions because I love and worship Jesus Christ, whose shed blood is the reason I have a personal relationship with the eternal God," Brewer added.

An attorney for both Brewer and the institution said Friday that both parties have "wholeheartedly" denied the allegations and that they "look forward to their day in court and the dismissal of the lawsuit."

Brewer’s response comes after Joshua Bonadona filed a federal complaint against the Pineville, Louisiana, school Wednesday citing discrimination as the reason he did not receive a coaching position.

Bonadona was seeking "backpay, lost employment benefits, costs associated with obtaining a new job, mental and emotional anguish, punitive damages, reasonable attorney’s fees, and costs," according to the lawsuit obtained by local Louisiana paper the Bayou Brief.

The lawsuit said that Brewer declined to hire Bonadona for the defensive backs coaching job after an interview last May.

The suit alleged that head football coach, Justin Charles, told Bonadona that Brewer overlooked his application because of what Brewer called "Jewish blood."

Bonadona’s attorney, James Bullman, said in a statement Thursday that private religious schools such as Louisiana College are legally permitted to make employment decisions based on an applicant’s religious beliefs.

However, people of Jewish heritage are considered a "distant race" and are protected under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"Employment discrimination against an individual based upon his Jewish ethnic heritage is prohibited," the lawsuit read.

Bonadona, 28, graduated from Louisiana College in 2013. He was born into a Jewish family but later converted to Christianity during his time at the school, according to the lawsuit. He applied to coach at Lousiana College after he resigned from his coaching position at Southeastern Missouri State University.