And I can hear them all.". They stood by him all through his early years and ensured he had t… Not all are compelling enough to wind up in a book, but Coleman wrote one with Marcus Brotherton titled "No Excuses: Growing Up Deaf and Achieving My Super Bowl Dream" after he won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks to cap the 2013 season. "At the end of the day, [competition] is what makes me better. He was sentenced to 240 hours of community service and 12 months supervision and ordered to pay restitution to the victim. Police also reported Coleman said he had been smoking a synthetic form of marijuana an hour before the accident. When the Seahawks coasted to victory on SuperBowl Sunday night, thousands of American households who have never followed football, much less rooted for the Seahawks, had reason to celebrate. I can read lips really well since I was mainstreamed in school with no sign language education or community. "As far as how things went down in court, that was out of my hands. They never placed him in a special school, though he did attend speech therapy for an extended period of time. Coleman’s message is one to be heard, loud and clear. Surprisingly, Derrick Coleman was born perfectly healthy on October 18, 1990, in West Los Angeles California, United States of America. Besides that, he hears well enough to know when you call his name and all that stuff. "People say, 'So how do you hear the snap count?' They had forgotten he was deaf. This ad has been viewed more than 19 million times on YouTube and Derrick has become an Internet sensation for being the first deaf NFL player to play in the Super Bowl. Fresh off his breakout rookie campaign, Seahawks receiver D.K. June 2, 2015, 12:36 PM • 4 min read. We recommend that you contact us to set up an appointment for a hearing test. When the Seahawks take on the San Francisco 49ers this His book, No Excuses: Growing Up Deaf and Achieving My Super Bowl Dreams, is in stores now. The odds of making it to the NFL are long enough. An incredibly moving depiction of Derrick's personal struggle with profound hearing loss is the subject of a recent Duracell advertisement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2HD57z4F8E). Make informed decisions on your hearing health. One part of his initiative involves raising money for hearing-impaired students because hearing aids are rather expensive. A California native, he wound up playing fullback at UCLA. His parents both have normal hearing -- but they are each missing a hearing gene. Ask about our Tinnitus solutions. It's the way he's always played the game. his father. Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman is an inspiration to both deaf and hearing individuals. has their story and that just happened to be mine.”. Coleman begged his parents to let him play. The list does not stop there. Complete our survey to assess your hearing health needs today! "Even if we were to change a play at the line of scrimmage and you turned around and looked at DC, he already kind of knew what was coming next because he was so intelligent. Sometimes in loud away games, a teammate or two will ask me what was said in the huddle, ME, a hard of hearing/deaf player! Just be who you are.". Follow him on Twitter @TFPWeeds. An NFL official said that although Coleman was a free agent all of last season, he received credit for serving the suspension regardless, as part of league policy. You just need to do the best with what you've got. “And he's got a great message. "He’s going after it, man, this offseason," Quinn said. teased, he was bullied” and kids would call him “four-ears.". The Cardinals fullback is working so that he won’t be the last. Please answer the question below to the best of your ability. But it was an unexpected opportunity that propelled Coleman and his story even further. an opportunity right after that to go prove to them - prove them wrong that Quinn said the Falcons had no issue giving Coleman another chance. weekend, no one will be paying better attention than Coleman. And now I'm here with a lot of fans in the NFL cheering me on. "DC is a very, very smart guy. Instead, he adapted, starring as a running back in high school and at UCLA before catching on as fullback with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. "When you look at everything after it was said and done, it was disregard for the safety of others. I'm just focused a little more. It was on May 10, 1969 that the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to join the AFL to form the 13-team American Football Conference. He spent four seasons in Seattle, one with the Atlanta Falcons and one with the Arizona Cardinals. He’s also good at picking up on mannerisms. Do you have to strain to understand conversations? Will 0-4 Falcons make Texans-like move with Dan Quinn? Everyone's life has chapters. But I've been deaf since I was 3. "Hey, my name is Derrick Coleman. they should have drafted me,” Coleman said. Derrick Coleman, 23, is the first legally deaf offensive player in the NFL, but he says he's never let it affect his game. Coleman was not born deaf, but his hearing had deteriorated by the time he was about three years old. Falcons WR Jones leaves with injured hamstring, Falcons' Kazee suffers 'serious' Achilles injury, Covered Bears for seven seasons at Chicago Tribune, Also worked at Chicago Sun-Times, Fresno Bee, Honorable mention, Football Writers Association of America for enterprise writing, 2002. “He knows just tell everybody and just But at age three, he was diagnosed with a hearing deformity which was truly disheartening for his parents, Derrick Coleman Snr. scored 19 touchdowns for the University of Los Angeles - he was passed over in NFL footage © NFL Productions LLC. The team was confident enough in Coleman's abilities to cut starting fullback Michael Robinson during training camp. Another week of training camp is kicking off. Coleman had a defective gene that slowed his hearing. He played college football at UCLA, and graduated after four years with a degree in political science, and 11 touchdowns in his senior season. Will that change in 2020? Now, he’s getting ready to break Riley Kovalcik, a 9-year-old girl with hearing loss from New Jersey, wrote Coleman to tell him, "Just try your best. However, he typically positions himself in the huddle close to the quarterback so he has a direct view of the quarterback’s lips, which significantly decreases the chance that he misses a call. They pushed him in the lake, even though Coleman had his hearing aids in. There were no drugs or alcohol.". But there was one more critical obstacle he needed to figure out. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site.