LAKELAND, Fla. — The sights and sounds of football are unmistakable.

The play calling. The crunching of pads. The whistle. The sounds of football.

But while everyone on the Lakeland High junior varsity football team hears it all, freshman Edward Bell hears silence.

The sounds of football for Edward are always the sounds of silence. In fact, his entire life has been filled with silence.

Born with a degenerative disease that robbed him of his hearing before he turned two. Edward may be deaf but he’s not disabled. 

“Doesn’t matter. Doesn’t matter at all that I’m deaf,” Edward said. “We’re a team and I feel strong and I feel good.”

That’s what football does to this young running back. It’s a sport that grabbed him at an early age and one that’s opened doors to normalcy.

“For years now, ever since I’ve grown up, I’ve grown up with football,” he said. “I love football. I love the team. I love winning.”

And he loves being included. Edward doesn’t feel different when he’s playing football. When he puts his Lakeland uniform on, he’s just like every other Dreadnaught.

“We’re like a family. We’re a team,” he said. “We win, we’re together”

There are some minor obstacles Edward has to navigate whenever he’s on the football field. It’s the little things that some players might take for granted. For Edward, like he’s done his whole life, he’s found ways to adapt.

“Well, I can’t hear the coach,” Edward said. “But it’s fine, I have an interpreter.”

Joan Weaver joins Edward at every practice and every game. She’s his ears and she provides necessary communication. 

“I am there for communication but I expect things to be normal. It is normal,” Joan said. “There’s nothing wrong with the deaf or the hard of hearing kids.”

That Edward makes it look so easy is a testament to his hard work. And also his desire to be just like everyone else. Those that know Edward best see him as an inspiration and an example for others to follow.

“He’s willing to try. He don’t give up,” his great, great aunt Evon Knight said. “And he’s a leader, not a follower.”

The football field is Edward’s home. It’s where he’s most comfortable and where he gets to be just like any other player.

“It really makes me happy and it doesn’t matter that I’m deaf,” he said. “Because we’re a team. We’re all together. We work together.”