“Stomp on Jesus” Professor says He Was Just Doing His Job

Deandre Poole, the Florida Atlantic University professor who told his students to “stomp on Jesus,” says he was just doing his job. He also says he’s a Christian who understands the uproar his assignment caused, even as he defends it.

During a recent lesson in his communications class, Poole instructed students to step on a piece of paper with Jesus’ name on it. He claimed the instructions were part of a lesson plan detailed in the Intercultural Communications textbook.

The situation escalated when Ryan Rotella, a junior at FAU, claimed he was suspended for refusing to step on his piece of paper. Florida Governor Rick Scott condemned the episode as, “intolerant to Christians and those of all faiths who deserve to be respected as Americans entitled to religious freedom.”