Jamaal Charles gave a powerful speech at Special Olympics

The running back reflected on his own disabilities that he didn’t allow to get in the way of achieving his dreams of being a Pro Bowl player in the NFL. “When I competed in the Special Olympics, I found out just how fast I was”.

Here’s his heartfelt speech to the 2015 Special Olympic athletes at the Opening Ceremony in L.A. on Saturday night.

“When I was a boy, I had trouble reading”.

Charles was diagnosed with a learning disability as a kid and said he often felt helpless. Despite being made fun of throughout his youth for the problem, Charles went on to become one of the most successful athletes in the United States. When I was 10 years I had the chance to compete in the Special Olympics. He won gold and the rest is history.

It’s impossible to imagine all that transpired to take Charles from a scared, misunderstood 10-year-old to becoming one of the best running backs in football.

Charles has many talents, on the field and off, as the video linked above confirms. On July 23, 2014, one day after threatening to sit out training camp over a contract dispute, Charles agreed to a two-year, $18.1 million contract extension making him one of the five highest paid running backs in the NFL.

Charles is now the NFL leader in career yards per carry among running backs. But the hard thing never is, and Charles is all the better for it.

But that’s a position that Jamaal Charles has thrived in. He’s been given every excuse to fail and simply hasn’t.