Fullback Derrick Coleman’s three-year tenure with the Seattle Seahawks came to a rather ignominious end when he caused an accident and eventually pleaded guilty to a hit-and-run in October, 2015.
Having sat out the entirety of last year, Coleman is hoping to restart his career and put the incident behind him with the Atlanta Falcons.
“It affected me a little bit because it’s all about perception,” Coleman said, via Steve Hummer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Mostly the feedback I got was amazing. There were people who shied away, but at the end of the day they realize that nobody’s perfect. That’s what I told them. Every time I preach, I tell them nobody’s perfect, we’re all going to make mistakes in this world. It’s a matter of how you deal with them, how you respond to them.
“How I responded to that situation was to go out there and live my life. Ain’t nothing I can do. That past is already gone.”
Coleman was initially charged with felony hit-and-run and vehicular assault. He ultimately agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge and a disregard for the safety of others. Coleman had smoked synthetic marijuana before he collided with another vehicle that overturned along an embankment and left the driver with a broken collarbone. Coleman then left the scene of the accident before being found a few blocks away.
Coleman’s chance to hit the reset button on his career comes with a familiar face at the helm. Head coach Dan Quinn was the defensive coordinator in Seattle for two of Coleman’s three years with the Seahawks. Coleman appeared in 31 games over that span helping lead the way for Marshawn Lynch.