Former AHS football standout who was born deaf becomes pro player

DECATUR, Ala. ( WHNT ) — A former Austin High School (AHS) football player who was born deaf has become a professional player with the Omaha Beef.

Darryl Pointer Jr. was born completely deaf. It wasn’t until he was two years old that he got a cochlear implant and could hear.

He may have seemed different from the outside, but Pointer Jr. didn’t see himself that way.

“I just don’t let that stop me from continuing to do what I do in my life,” said Pointer Jr.

He played football at AHS and eventually went on to play at the collegiate level, earning a scholarship to Kentucky Wesleyan.

“He can accomplish goals in life without criticism or letting anything stop him because I love him in such a way I put the whole word on my shoulders on my back to take care of him,” said Darryl’s father, Darryl Pointer Sr. “I’m super proud of him.”

But his dreams of being on the gridiron didn’t end when he got his degree.

He decided to go pro, winning a national championship as a defensive lineman with the Omaha Beef in 2024 in the National Arena League.

The path to being a champion wasn’t easy, as people doubted him along the way.

“Don’t let nothing stop you. Because I took the hard way instead of going the short cut way,” Pointer Jr. said.

Pointer Jr. plans to continue his pro career, playing another season in Omaha in 2025.

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