With the formal announcement that the Packers would be bringing in Jarrett Bush as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship Program, my mind immediately went to the frustrations that I felt towards Bush when he was roaming the defensive backfield with the team.  At his peak, I was a young fan and probably most often a naïve fan.  In getting to know Bush’s story a little better, it’s fair to say that I have come full circle and wish him the best in his future in the game of football.

Looking back on his career, Bush spent eight quality years as part of the Green Bay Packers organization between 2006 and 2014.  While he never caught onto a starting role in the defensive backfield, he proved to be a quality special teams player throughout his career.  Looking back, most of my frustrations with Bush as a young fan were due to his inopportune penalties for pass interference and his inability to keep up with premier receivers in the league.

Where Bush turned the corner for most Packers fans was his second-quarter interception of Ben Roethlisberger in Super Bowl XLV on a great read.  A few seasons later, Bush would follow up with another clutch game-sealing interception of Matt Ryan in a pivotal win to keep the season alive in 2013. 

While still holding a spot in the defensive backfield down the depth chart later in his career, Bush excelled at becoming a leader in the locker room.  As a positive influence to young players coming to Green Bay, one notable player that Bush took under his wing was troubled tight end Colt Lyerla.  When Lyerla came to Green Bay with a troubled past, Bush showed him the ropes of the town and the team and gave the young Lyerla advice on how to keep his nose clean.  Even though Lyerla didn’t adapt and stick in the NFL, seeing Bush willingly take on a mentoring role bodes well for his future potential as a coach.

After the Packers organization decided not to bring him back after the 2014 season, Bush struggled with both a sports hernia injury and a 10 game substance abuse violation heading into the 2015 season.  Because of the issues, Bush never found a home in the NFL again.  Late in 2016, he did try to make a run in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders and would make the roster heading into the 2017 season.  But after only two short weeks playing special teams, Bush was demoted to the practice team and later released from the team.

After being out of football for nearly a year, Bush is making his way back to the Packers as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship Program.  The program was designed to give exposure to minority coaching hopefuls to help them gain experience as a coach at the NFL level.  All teams participate in the program and are given a lot of leeway in how they work with each of the participants in the program.  The league does recommend some best practices in the hiring of the coaches through the program.  The program has proven to be successful with current head coaches Marvin Lewis, Hue Jackson, Mike Tomlin and Anthony Lynn all having participated.  The program has also seen several female participants in recent years.

Bush will work with the team during OTA’s and minicamp in the coming month with a focus on both defense and special teams. Bush’s diverse background coupled with his path through the NFL could definitely pave his way for success in a future in coaching.  Bush made his way to Utah State via a junior college in California where he had to work hard to achieve the grades necessary for a Division I school.  His journey through the NFL as a role player whose spot on the final roster was never guaranteed each year will translate well with similar types of players trying to make a roster each year.  Great coaches at the professional level must be knowledgeable about the game as well as be relatable to the players that they are coaching.

Should the fellowship program help Jarrett Bush find future success as a coach at the college or NFL level, I know that I have come around to wishing him success wherever his future journeys take him.