Kansas City NFL running back addresses Special Olympics opening ceremony

BEFORE becoming a multi-million dollar athlete, this NFL superstar was bullied and told he would never become anything.

attends the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on July 25, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.

WATCHING him play, many people would have no idea that NFL running back Jamaal Charles once competed at the Special Olympics.

The Kansas City star spoke at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics on Saturday, telling of his childhood struggle with learning disabilities.

At just 10 years of age, Charles competed in the track and field events in the global competition, coming away with a gold medal.

The two-time NFL All-Pro told a sell-out Los Angeles crowd of how the Games helped him to discover the talent he did not know he had.

“When I was a boy, I had trouble reading. I found out I had learning disabilities,” Charles said.

“People made fun of me. They said I would never go anywhere, but I learned I can fly.

“When I was 10 years old I had the chance to compete in the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics gave me my first chance to discover a talent I did not know I had.”

WATCH THE SPEECH IN THE VIDEO BELOW

Charles was drafted into the NFL in 2008 by Kansas City Chiefs after an impressive stint playing college football for the University of Texas.

This year Charles was voted no. 12 in the Top 100 NFL Players of 2015 and is currently one of the five highest paid running backs in the league.

The 2015 Special Olympics are currently being held in Los Angeles in the USA.

According to the Special Olympics LA 2015 website, approximately 6,500 athletes representing 165 countries will participate in the week-long event, which is expected to be viewed by almost half a million spectators.

The Games have been dubbed the “the largest sports and humanitarian event anywhere in the world in 2015, and the single biggest event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games.”

The closing ceremony will take place on 2 August.