BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — In Bloomfield Hills, Devin Holmes is a team captain and a member of the homecoming court – but he is also deaf.
He stands out though for his work on and off the field, and it's spreading to the entire team.
Multiple teammates have taken extra classes to learn to sign with Devin, and it turns out, the kids are learning much more than Xs and Os on the field.
"I think it's the greatest things in the world that these kids overlook that, fight through it, and want to play football," Head Coach Dan Loria said. "Practice doesn't slow down. Al (Devin's interpreter) knows football. If we're yelling, he's yelling as he's messaging the kids, so we don't lose a beat."
Coaches say Devin's work ethic and drive made him an easy choice as team captain.
"Some people might look at it like he's deaf, so we'll let him be the captain, which is not the case. He earned being captain," Al Kettinger, his interpreter, said.
"Probably the easiest selection as a captain. Not able to verbally communicate. He makes sounds of enthusiasm, sounds when he's upset, works his tail off," Loria added.
When asked the one thing he wanted people to understand about him playing football, Devin said through his interpreter, "I've been playing football for a long time. It's been a challenge for me at first, but I keep trying, and I've learned a lot, and I've experienced a lot. And I'm getting older now, I really understand how the game works."
Devin's journey does not stop here. He'll be going to Gallaudet University, an all deaf school in Washington D.C., next year. He will puruse a teaching degree.
