Derrick Lamont Coleman (born October 18, 1990) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

fullback who is an assistant to player engagement for the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

in 2012. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

for the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the Californ ...

(UCLA).

Early life

Coleman became deaf when he was three years old; he primarily uses

lip reading The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

for communication. He attended Troy High School in Fullerton, California, and played

for

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

Playing career

Minnesota Vikings

Coleman went undrafted, then signed as an

with the

on April 28, 2012. He was waived by the Vikings in August.

Seattle Seahawks

Coleman was signed by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

in December 2012. He made the 2013 season cut after the fourth preseason game and thus was added to the 53-man roster. In week one's game between the Seahawks and the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

, Coleman had three catches for 30 yards. Coleman scored his first NFL touchdown on December 2, 2013, on ''

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, ...

'' against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

off of a ricocheted ball from Kellen Davis. Coleman was a part of the Seahawks

Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...

championship team. On October 15, 2015, Coleman was suspended indefinitely after an arrest on hit-and-run charges, but the suspension was lifted on October 19, after a team investigation.

Atlanta Falcons

On March 21, 2017, Coleman signed with the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

. On September 10, he made his Falcons debut in the 23–17 victory over the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

Arizona Cardinals

On May 9, 2018, Coleman signed with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...

. On November 19, 2020, the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...

hosted Coleman for a workout.

Executive career

On April 18, 2023, Coleman was hired by the

as assistant to player engagement, serving under

Grey Ruegamer Christopher Grey Ruegamer OO-gah-mer(born June 1, 1976) is a former American football center who is the director of player engagement for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State ...

Personal life

Coleman is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. In January 2014, Coleman was featured in a widely-praised commercial for

Duracell Duracell Inc. is an American manufacturer of alkaline batteries, specialty cells, rechargeables and smart power systems, owned by Berkshire Hathaway. The company has its origins in the 1920s, through the work of Samuel Ruben and Philip Mallory, ...

batteries. The commercial inspired twin sisters Riley and Erin Kovalcik, who also wear hearing aids, to write him a letter of support. After exchanging letters, Coleman and Duracell decided to invite the Kovalcik family to watch the

in person on February 2, 2014. On October 15, 2015, Coleman was reportedly driving his Dodge Ram erratically in

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has variously been characterized as a s ...

. It is alleged that Coleman fled the scene on foot but was spotted and detained by police within 10 minutes. Police reported that Coleman claimed to have smoked spice, a synthetic form of marijuana, about an hour prior to the incident. On October 6, 2016, he pled guilty to vehicular assault and

hit-and-run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...

charges. On October 15, 2016, he was ordered to carry out 240 hours of community service and was required to be under community supervision for 12 months. Under the agreement, he was also required to pay the victim

restitution The law of restitution is the law of gains-based recovery, in which a court orders the defendant to ''give up'' their gains to the claimant. It should be contrasted with the law of compensation, the law of loss-based recovery, in which a court o ...

and property damages. In the NFL, Coleman served a four-game suspension which commenced on October 14, 2016.

References

External links

Green Bay Packers bio

UCLA Bruins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Derrick 1990 births Living people American football fullbacks Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players American deaf people Deaf players of American football Minnesota Vikings players Seattle Seahawks players Sportspeople from Fullerton, California UCLA Bruins football players