The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on whether a former Washington state football coach went too far by leading students in prayer after games.

The case involving Joe Kennedy, who had been football coach at Bremerton High School, placed a spotlight on religious expression in schools and is coming to a close with a decision by the high court expected any day now.

“It’s been hard," he told KOMO News in March. "It’s affected my family, the school. It’s really affected everybody around here."

Kennedy was booted from his job in 2015.

The group representing the school district said the decision resulted from him leading student players in prayer on the 50-yard line after football games.

“Part of the legal record shows that students came forward and said they did feel pressured to pray to play and pray to feel part of the team,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church & State.

The case has dragged on in the legal system for years, and Kennedy's counsel explains that the nation’s highest court will soon answer whether his rights were violated.

“School districts often take extreme positions on these issues," said Stephanie Taub with First Liberty Institute. "They can operate (and) they think they can turn schools into these sort of religion-free zones, which is not the case. There’s room for respecting the religious rights of teachers and coaches across the country."

The Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments in the case in late April.

"Some of the justices, even some of the conservative ones, showed some empathy for the power that coaches have over students,” Laser said.

But, the school district’s attorneys believe it's an uphill battle for their case, and Kennedy's camp agrees.

“Just the trends of this court in respecting religious liberty,” Taub said.

If the SCOTUS decision lands in Kennedy's favor, he'll push to get his job back.

The ruling on this case is expected by next Thursday.