The biggest ovation you never heard

image from Gallaudet Athletics 

More than 20 years ago, Kenny Walker was playing in his last college football game. The 70,000 Nebraska fans honored him with sign language applause, all at the same time. Walker is one of only three deaf players to rise from the college ranks to the NFL. The third player is Seattle Seahawks' Derrick Coleman, who took part in the Super Bowl this past weekend. Walker spoke with Al Jazeera about Coleman:

"I learned signing English, so as my second language I started learning American Sign Language. That changed my communication style and forced me to work harder to change to another language. Derrick hasn’t had those experiences. He didn’t use interpreters all throughout college, because he didn’t need them. I look at videotapes of his games and see what he’s gone through with his hearing loss, and I think, “Wow, that’s a lot of hard work there.”

Read the full interview here here.