Matt Rhule sends thoughts to Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina

Matt Rhule extended a heartfelt message to the people in North Carolina who are dealing with damage from Hurricane Helene. The Nebraska coach has a personal connection to the state, having lived there at two different points in his life.

Of course, he was most recently the coach of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers before becoming the Cornhuskers coach. Additionally, he worked for four years as an assistant at Western Carolina, which is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, from 2002-06.

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Rhule explained that he knows people who were affected by the storms from that area, including a current member of the Nebraska staff. Assistant coach Jarrett Wishon played for Rhule at Western Carolina and has family who still live there.

“I’ve had two stints of living in North Carolina,” Rhule said. “I was in Charlotte and that was great and we have a lot of great friends there and people that we love. So our concern and our heart has been there. When Julie and I were first married for a couple of years, we lived out in Western Carolina just out past Asheville in Cullowhee, where Western Carolina University is. Jarrett Wishon, who’s right there, was one of my top guys and I coached him there. All those wonderful people in all those small towns up through Tennessee and down into Georgia. My heart is certainly with them.”

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Due to internet and cell service in the area still being down in the Cullowhee area, Western Carolina University has suspended classes through this week. The cell service being down in the area has also made it hard for Wishon to get ahold of his family to find out if they are OK.

Rhule is hoping for the best for him and all the countless other currently in that situation.

“As someone who’s been a part of few of those disasters, you start to see the absolute worst and then sometimes you have a chance to also see the absolute best,” he said. “People picking up and leaving their lives to run to help. But it’s sad and it’s unfortunate. I met so many wonderful both my stints in North Carolina, really in South Carolina. My daughters still go to camp in Western North Carolina.

“We’ve been on the phone and we’ve been concerned. We’ve talked to some people and some people we haven’t had a chance to talk to. Jarrett’s family’s still over there, so we’ve been a little heavy hearted over all that. Our hope is that the best part of man will step up at this time.”