My Two Cents on Easton and It's Football Program

In light of the recent controversy surrounding the future of Easton Football Coach Steve Shiffert, I wrote the following letter to the EASD administration:

To Whom This May Concern, 

I’m sure you have all received many opinions and letters about the football coaching situation, and the issue has probably been discussed at length at this point between you all. As a proud alum of Easton, I felt compelled to write you in response to the campaign to oust the coaching staff, as I think it hits at the heart of what is good within our community. I’m not writing as some personal friend of Steve Shiffert, for whom I never played and don’t really know. I’m writing as a community member who is alarmed about what this says about us. 

Most of your 7th and 8th grade football coaching staff are people I grew up with here in the Easton area. They’re young guys in their early 30s who played here. They went off to college, to great institutions like Penn State, Lafayette, Syracuse, and others, and all achieved great things, whether on or off the field. They could have went anywhere in the world, but they chose to come back to Easton. They chose to give today’s kids the same experience that this community gave them. They embody what is good in our community, our loyalty to each other, and they teach good life lessons to the kids each day. They are exactly the kind of coaching figures we should want the kids of this community to learn under. Their presence here should speak wonders to the kind of program that Easton football is. 

As I said before, I do not know Steve Shiffert, but I reject that the program and the kids are in decline. I reject that a program that sees some of it’s finest young alums come and give back, some even as volunteers, is going in the wrong direction. I would reject that the program is in decay because of it’s won-loss record as well, as the program is very good, but I feel there’s a higher value to be discussed here. It is clear to me that Mr. Shiffert instills the values in his athletes that stay with them for life. That is what’s important, and that is the set of values that should represent our community. 

Sincerely yours,

Rich Wilkins