Former Virginia Tech soccer player says coach’s verbal attacks after not kneeling in pregame led to exit

A former player at Virginia Tech is accusing the current women’s soccer coach of verbal attacks after she refused to kneel with her teammates prior to games in 2020.

Court information from the federal suit says Chugger Adair benched Kiersten Hening a few games later and continued the abuse until Hening left the program. Hening said her fellow Hokies knelt during the reading of the ACC unity pledge in support of ending racial injustice, which she said she supports.

Adair has been head soccer coach for 10 years in Blacksburg.

(IMAGE: Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University)