re: Rush Propst fired. Again. O/U how many days until he is on Pruitt's staff?

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New statement from Rush Propst, Friday April 5, 2019

I continue to be overwhelmed by the many kind words of support and encouragement that I have received from the Colquitt County community. It has been a true blessing to me and my family as we sort through this inexcusable attempt to smear me, my career, and my service to the students and families of Colquitt County.

I am also grateful to those in the community that have simply kept an open mind. I greatly regret how this situation has been used by some to divide this wonderful community. The people of Colquitt County deserve much better from their educational leaders than what they have had to endure in this situation. I certainly know this from my personal experience. Please do not let these ridiculous actions by Superintendent Howell divide our community.

Approximately two-weeks ago, I stated that I looked forward to addressing the many false and misleading allegations made about me by Mr. Howell. That is exactly what I intend to do in this statement.

First, I still believe this entire process has been unfair to me. Mr. Howell engineered an investigation to support his pre-determined conclusion that would result in my termination. I was never interviewed by Mr. Howell and didn’t learn of the allegations, despite requests, until I read them in the newspaper. The allegations by Mr. Howell were misleading half-truths meant to damage my reputation in order to justify dismissing me as head coach from one of the most successful and highly regarded high school football programs in the nation. He was certainly reckless in the way he chose to do this.

I was hired by the school system in 2008 with the express direction to restore and rebuild Colquitt County football. In the years since, with the help of dozens of assistant coaches and hundreds of players, I have consistently worked to do just that. Over the years, my requests for better equipment, facilities, nutrition programs, and medical support have been consistent. With the support of past principals, superintendents, and school board members, these improvements were made and resulted in a winning program.

One of the allegations made against me by Mr. Howell seems to involve his somewhat odd and unhealthy interest in my personal finances which have nothing to do with my performance as football coach. I will be the first to admit that I have struggled financially. Also, I know that I have too often allowed my obsession over our football program to leave me neglecting regular day to day obligations. Like many people, my family obligations and other life choices mean I have personal debts, including owing back taxes. At the end of the day, I am honest about my debts, and I work every day to repay my obligations.

The truth is that I informed Mr. Howell about my tax issues. Stefnie and I are working on them, and I want to assure everyone that the dollar amounts cited by Mr. Howell are massively inflated. What I owe and what is claimed are two different amounts. I do not know why he chose to misrepresent my personal finances other than to smear me personally.

Mr. Howell also suggested that I attempted to interfere in the hiring of Principal Jamie Dixon. This is expressly and categorically false. During his interview process, Mr. Dixon contacted me and requested we meet to discuss the school and its football program. I was simply being courteous when I agreed to meet with him. I did not do so to interfere in any formal selection process. Mr. Howell could have avoided making this false statement against me, and embarrassing Mr. Dixon, if he had shown me the courtesy of discussing this accusation before recklessly and falsely including it in his report.

Additionally, Mr. Howell made a broad and sweeping series of disconnected accusations regarding my general coaching abilities, the discipline and morale of the players and coaches, my recommendation to hotel the team on the night before games, and my decision to coach students on their individual athletic abilities and how they might best obtain a college scholarship.

I will begin by being less than modest. I have been blessed to be a very successful coach. Together, we built one of the best and most highly regarded high school football programs in the nation. Our team’s records speak for themselves. But I also know that coaching is a lot more than playing and winning football games. I coach young kids, sometimes greatly undisciplined kids, in football and life. Some of our kids come from very solid homes with great parents, extensive support networks, and solid academic abilities. Some of our players don’t have any of these advantages. And, helping them – guiding them – is one of my greatest challenges and our greatest rewards.

Football is a game that challenges the discipline and composure of every student on the team – even coaches. It requires great physical exertion, mental sharpness, and perfect execution of physical and mental skills with a clock-ticking over their heads. It is easy for any athlete – even coaches – to lose their composure in a game - especially, at the high school level. As coaches, we help students stay focused and composed. But we are not always successful. Every practice, every class, every game is a learning moment in coaching.

I like to hotel my kids the night before every game because I want to know that they are going to get a good meal. I can’t begin to thank all the people in our community who served our team meals over the years. I want my players sleeping in a good bed the night before a game. I want to know that they are in bed at a certain time. I want them to have discipline in their lives before a game and remove outside distractions. I will not apologize for trying to do the best for my kids. This is coaching. This is wanting to provide each of our kids the opportunity to be successful. Mr. Howell decided none of the above mattered.

It has been reported to me that during my tenure as coach, our program created more scholarship opportunities for players than for all past Colquitt County football teams combined. I do know what colleges look for in a student athlete. I did coach a multi-sport student athlete about focusing on football. I believed that student had the possibility of being a High School All-American and getting a Division 1 football scholarship if he focused on his football skills. I wanted that student to have his best shot at getting a scholarship and going to college. What I did is called coaching. If I had not informed this young man of this possibility, I would have done a great disservice to him. What I told this young man is that he had a chance. A chance to get to be an All-American, to earn a full scholarship and play football. He also had a choice. He could continue playing other sports and take a chance, or focus on football and give himself the best odds to achieve his goal. That decision was the player’s decision to make, not mine or Mr. Howell’s. The truth is that I encouraged all student athletes to play other sports. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, we had 6 to 8 football players play Varsity basketball or wrestle. I wanted them to be their best. I can’t count the number of our football kids that played other sports at Colquitt County.

And, I worked to inspire my players and coaches. Every coach does. Sometimes you use inspiration, sometimes you use directness and determination, and sometimes you use your faith in them and their ability to do better. What I did is called coaching. I would not accept anything less than their best and they did not expect anything less from me.

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