Derrick Coleman doesn’t use hearing aids as an excuse
By Mike Dyce
If you haven’t seen the Duracell battery commercial starring Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman, it is one of the most inspirational stories you’ll hear about this Super Bowl week. Despite being deaf and undrafted, Coleman has overcome the odds to become an NFL player and in the biggest game.
So how can he hear audibles and play changes? He can’t, but it isn’d an excuse for him to miss an assignment.
“For me, I just read lips,” Coleman said, via Pro Football Talk. “I never really had any or caused any problems, and if I ever did, I made sure it was corrected before I ever went out there. I don’t ever really use my hearing aid as an excuse. I’ll find a different excuse before I use my hearing as an excuse.”
His hearing aids help him get closer to normal hearing, but still just barely.
“I always use a scale from zero to 10, zero being completely deaf and 10 being perfect hearing. About eight, nine, 10 is everybody else – normal hearing. Without my hearing aid, I’m probably about a two. With my hearing aid, I’m probably about six, seven, eight, depending on the day,” Coleman said.