by Fago Franklin
Seattle Seahawks FB Derrick Coleman is the first NFL player that has been diagnosed with being deaf in the league. He was first diagnosed at the age of three and continued to compete for a starting job playing the game that he loves.
In a commercial last year, Coleman exclaimed to the world that it is possible to overcome the odds; “They told me it couldn’t be done and I was a lost cause. I was picked on throughout life and was undrafted,” Coleman said. “They gave up on me and told me I should just quit.”
Coleman didn’t give up on himself nor his dreams. “You can always make something work if you really put your mind to it,” Coleman said. “You can definitely achieve it and that is why I am so motivated to come out and lay it all on the field.”
He taught himself to read lips because at times his hearing aids wouldn’t work correctly. “I can rely on reading lips. That’s the advantage that most people don’t have. I wanted to communicate fully with other people if my hearing aids wasn’t responding correctly.”
Coleman has inspired so many people with his talents and the way that he has dedicated himself to the game of football. “I knew I was going to be able to touch some people, especially people that had some type of flaws that they thought were going to hinder them from their dreams.
To overcome the odds of being successful, you have to want it more than anybody else and that is how Coleman hurdled his obstacles. He didn’t quit on himself just because people said that he had a disability; he was motivated by the game of football and pushed himself to his limits.
“You can’t use your problem as an excuse, because if you use an excuse, you’re not going to get to your dream says Coleman.”
Coleman rewrites history as far as the aspect of the NFL, but look at how many of the youth look up to him. He went out there and was determined not to fail. He gave hope to different communities in the world with being motivated by obstacles that he faced since he was very little. 
The Coleman story is just another book of being able to concur your success by not letting any negativity get to you. If you want something so bad, never let anybody stand in your way and always know that being good to others will open so many doors.
Even though Coleman was undrafted he has made a huge impact for his team and himself.