Derrick Coleman has made the 53 man roster

[SharkHawk]

He could probably file an ADA claim that he's allowed to have the speaker helmet reserved for quarterbacks. Reasonable Accommodation and all that. The NFL would be hard pressed to deny it.

Now that is a really interesting point of discussion. I've never even thought about making an accommodation such as this. I remember Zeus Brown had to have a special visor after getting blinded in his eye by Triplette's flag, but I believe it met NFL standards (they were making a stink about the tinted visors, but Brown's was mirrored and very dark). That is the last guy I can remember who needed some accommodation for sight or hearing.

It would be interesting if he requested it and how Goodell would respond. It is a perfectly reasonable accommodation, but I can see Goodell claiming it is an advantage and T-Jack gets the 2nd green dot on offense and Coleman can't wear one unless he's a QB. Seems like something dumb they'd do.

 

[keatonisballin]

I wounder if he has 'heard' the news?

Aaayyyyyoooooo :th2thumbs:

Pretty cool though, after i read an article about him and being deaf ive been rooting for him to make the team. Didnt think itd come at the expense of MRob though...

 

[HawkWow]

In the huddle vs. the Raiders, I noticed him focused intently on reading TJacks lips. Might have been Quinn, actually, but he sorta pushed his way into a position where he could see the lips of the QB. The concentration on his face made me an instant fan. If I recall correctly, I think there was a Redskins back that was deaf. Had a translator on the sideline and tore up the league for a spell.

EDIT: The player was Larry Brown. League MVP in 1972 and 4 time pro-bowler.

 

[SharkHawk]

Kenny Walker was a deaf player on the Broncos back in the 1990's and he was an excellent defender. There was a special put out by the NFL a few years back that had football from all over the country (I think it was called "Football America", I even bought the VHS tape at JC Penney after I saw it on TV), and one of the places was at a school for the deaf. It was very cool. They practiced using drum beats, because the players could "feel" what was going on. They were really good players. I would love to hear Coleman getting a welcome from the 12th man that he can feel. It is cool that he made it. I hope he does a great job for us. It would also be cool for fans to cheer for him doing the sign for applause (waving hands).

I teach a kid whose parents are both deaf, and he teaches me new signs each day. ASL is a very cool language and deaf culture is so misunderstood. There is a whole lot going on that people never know about. Silence seems to equal incapable to so many, when the deaf children I've interacted with while working with a state school for the deaf and now in my new position have been amazing. The parents I've interacted with are absolutely incredible. They've raised their children in two worlds seamlessly and the kids are all well adjusted and amazingly kind and outgoing in my experiences. I hope they see what Derrick is doing and hop on the Hawks bandwagon.

 

[Blitzer88]

He's got some big shoes to fill. Hopefully he can develop a chemistry with Marshawn like Marshawn and mike Rob had.

 

[chris98251]

Larry Brown was a favorite of mine as a youg kid.

 

[LudwigsDrummer]

My wife is an ASL video relay interpreter.
She feels it is her calling.