Deon Butler was a football player for both Central Michigan University (CMU) and the Detroit Lions. Throughout both his academic and football career, he struggled with his undiagnosed dyslexia. Due to his undiagnosed dyslexia, he graduated from high school reading at a fourth grade level. During his first three years at CMU, he struggled to understand the football playbook until his senior year when he shared his struggle with his tight end coach, Sherrone Moore, who helped him memorize the playbook. When Butler got to the NFL, the playbook was too long for him to memorize, which he attributes as one of the reasons why he ended up being released.
Shortly after leaving the NFL, he learned that he would be a father. After learning this, he decided that he needed to learn how to read so that he would be able to read to his daughter, unlike his upbringing where he did not have anybody to read to him. He then hired a tutor and was diagnosed with dyslexia. He was able to receive help that broke down learning to read into ways that worked for him. He now works as an advocate for literacy and is able to read to his daughter every night.
Read more about Deon Butler here and here.
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