Another Reason the Seahawks are Great

It's not just Russell Wilson and his quiet leadership (and off-the-field history of helping others). 

It's not just Marshawn Lynch who doesn't just power past the opposition's defense; he shoves them out of the way despite their size (and his).

It's this guy - Derrick Coleman - who is the first deaf player in the NFL. Picked on and picked last his whole life.  Didn't get picked during his first NFL draft.

They didn't call my name but I've been deaf since I was three...and I didn't listen.  

He says he has the loudest fans in the NFL...and he can hear them all.


Comments

Unknown said…
I love this video for many reasons, the first being that it shows a boy with hearing aids growing up to be a strong man who also wears hearing aids. I love that it portrays his deafness as a limitations of others, not himself. I love the line “They told me I was a lost cause. But I’ve been deaf since I was 3 … so I didn't listen.” I'm not a big fan of commercials using athletes, but I love this whole series of Duracell/NFL "Trust Your Power" ads that show kids "finding the power within." These ads are a first I think, in featuring realistic depicitons of obstacles of bullying, poverty, and disability. The ad featuring Patrick Willis of the SF 49ers is equally moving http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdRrP1Kh9TU.

BTW, there have been two other NFL players who were deaf, both offensive players--Bonnie Sloan who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the '70s, and Kenny Walker, who played for the Denver Broncos in the 1990's. Walker played for Nebraska in college, and (according to Wikipedia) at his final home game at Nebraska, the capacity crowd showed their appreciation for Walker by signing "applause" to him in unison.
1/14/14, 10:36 AM
mirmac1 said…
I cheered loudly at the commercial : )
1/14/14, 11:51 AM
Anonymous said…
I like the commercial for many reasons. But the whole "picked on, picked last" thing is maybe more marketing than truth. In this interesting article about Derrick Coleman from the Seattle Times, Coleman emphasizes that his deafness never created problems playing sports.

http://seattletimes.com/html/seahawks/2021614016_seahawks15xml.html

But that doesn't make him any less inspiring.

Hawks Fan
1/15/14, 12:46 PM
mirmac1 said…
Well, i would think not being able to hear calls could pose a problem...

And yes his story should inspire young people to strive for their dreams.
1/15/14, 1:04 PM
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