Tuesday, September 25, 2012 2:42 pm

To the citizens of Cannon County,

I have recently heard some negative comments about a good friend of mine in the local coffee shops and around town that compelled me to write this letter to the editor.

 I’m talking about our Cannon County High School head football coach Mr. Brent Bush and his decision to fly to Oregon to watch his two sons play football for Tennessee Tech University against the Oregon Ducks.
Oregon is the number 3 ranked team in the nation right now and is one of the premier college football stages in this country to play in.

Coach Bush’s two sons played in this game side by side on the defensive line. That is a dream situation for those two young men and their family.

I have heard comments that Coach Bush should have forgone the opportunity to be there with his sons to experience that and to watch the game and instead go to York with the Cannon County football team.

Even though the rest of the coaching staff, including myself encouraged him to go, even though he agonized over the decision to go, even though he made preparations for the York game with the rest of the coaching staff, even though the rest of the coaching staff was perfectly capable of managing the game in his absence and even though the players, who all realize we are family and how important family is wanted him to go. Given all of that he was still criticized by some in this community.

But, the one thing that bothered me the most about this was knowing the sacrifices Coach Bush has already made for his family and for our country. Coach Bush missed a lot of important things, and a lot of fun times with his family, in the past because he was serving as a leader in our armed forces fighting for the security of our nation and to protect the very freedoms that give us the right and the privilege to sit comfortably in a coffee shop and freely express our opinion about something.

So, before you criticize someone about something they have done in their life, stop to think about their situation before you open your mouth. Coach Bush is my friend and I am proud to serve on his coaching staff. He doesn’t talk the big talk he steps up and walks the walk.

Thank You
Bill Parsley
billparsleyrealty@yahoo.com