NFL veteran Deon Butler visits Hinton

By Jenny Harnish & Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

HINTON, WV — Deon Butler was drafted into the National Football League by the Detroit Lions. As a tight end at Central Michigan University, he starred on the football field…and struggled in the classroom.

“When I made it to the Detroit Lions, I struggled with the playbook,” he recalls. “Throughout my life I had been struggling with this thing called dyslexia that I didn’t know about.”

Powered with the awareness of his classroom struggles, Butler got to work and at age 27 while playing professional football, he learned how to read.

“It was the best feeling in the world.”

As a result of that experience, Butler has dedicated his time off the field to sharing his story with young people, encouraging them to never give up on themselves.

“I am going around working with governors, senators, and the community, educating people on reading,” Butler said. “I was raised by my grandma. We had 14 people living in a 2-bedroom house. I always as a kid wondered if I get in a position where I can help people out, I will.”

Butler was proud to keep promise, giving back to communities across the nation by sharing the lessons he learned in his book, The Gift & Curse: One Man’s Journey with Dyslexia.

His latest stop was in Hinton last Thursday, where he spent the afternoon sharing his time and message with young people from Summers County Schools at the Ritz Theater. He also gave away numerous gifts to children in attendance.

His message was direct: “Lock in. You haven’t met your best self yet, but you cannot meet your best self until you get there. So that means you cannot give up.”

Butler’s book is available online.