Former Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion has a stutter. More than three millions Americans do.
It didn’t stop him from fully participating in the aspects of the Scouting Combine that rely on verbal communication, including a press conference and interviews with (among others) PFT Live.
Concepcion later addressed his stutter on social media.
“I just wanna say something if you have a speech impediment there is nothing wrong with us,” Concepcion said, via ESPN. “I have had this stutter since I can remember talking. This is a part of me. This is who I am. I cannot control this. I wanna be a role model for those who may be scared to speak up who may be afraid and not confident in yourself. I stand with you.
“This weekend has taught me a lot about myself and people out here in this world. I appreciate everyone who supports me and has reached out to me after these interviews. Don’t let an outside person’s thoughts, opinions get in the way of you being great and of you achieving something in life.
“I am blessed to be in the position that I am in and I want to help give back to those who are scared to speak up who aren’t as confident. I stand with you. I will always stand with you. We are different for a reason. God has blessed my life in a way I couldn’t even imagine in this past year. I love y’all and support y’all as we climb this mountain together.”
Amen to all of that. Plenty of us have or have had a speech impediment. Some (like the one I had as a child) can be cured easily. Some cannot be.
Those who have never had one can’t understand what it means, or how it feels. Kudos to Concepcion for being open about it, and for using it to inspire others who deal with the affliction.
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