Darren Sproles overcame his stutter, now he’s helping a kid do the same

It started when he was about 6 years old, and he learned very quickly how to hide it. He spent his teenage years avoiding public speaking. When he got to Kansas State University and had to speak to the media, he responded with one-word answers. He does his best to stay away from on-camera appearances, and even though he has learned how to control his stutter, he still keeps his answers short when speaking to unfamiliar people. He knows which words to avoid -- ones that start with the letter “B” tend to give him trouble -- and he hurries interviews in an effort to be done with them as quickly as possible.

“It’s frustrating,” Sproles said last week, discussing his stutter. “I have to stop and then I have to pretty much just breathe. That’s the main thing, just breathing.”

Throughout Sproles’ interview, it becomes clear what his triggers are. When discussing movies or music, he speaks without a hitch. But when asked directly about his stutter, he gets nervous he starts using those breathing techniques to get through certain words and phrases. He maintains eye contact, but still cuts his answers short when he feels a stutter coming.

Sproles is addressing his stutter publicly in an effort to help kids who are dealing with the same struggle that has kept him largely silent until now. He is a part of USA’s NFL Characters Unite documentary, a film designed to pair football players who have faced challenges with children going through similar difficulties in an effort to address issues with bullying, prejudice and discrimination. The running back was paired with 16-year-old Sheila Smith, a high school student who has been teased for her stutter so often she decided not to speak at all in school to protect herself from bullying.

“I was teased every day,” she said in the documentary. According to the filmmakers, she has become increasingly anti-social and refuses to participate in school activities. “It’s a difficult thing to have to deal with in life.”

Sproles spent time with the teen as cameras followed, giving her advice and encouraging her to not let the stutter get in the way of life experiences. Smith admitted her fear of speaking to people was preventing her from pursuing her love of fashion design, so Sproles introduced her to the fashion program at the Philadelphia YMCA and helped her design an anti-bullying t-shirt. He also introduced her to a local fashion designer, who has a stutter, to encourage the teen not to give up.

Throughout the afternoon, sitting side-by-side designing their t-shirts, Sproles noticed when Smith was talking about fashion, she didn’t stutter.

“I feel like I got a gift,” said Smith. “Now I can do stuff that I haven’t been able to do.”

During his interview with SB Nation last week, Sproles admitted being a football player helped him avoid the pain of bullying that Smith felt. While some kids would mimic his stammer, most left him alone.

“The only thing that gets me now is when there’s a camera in my face or when I get nervous. That’s when I stutter,” said Sproles. “At home with my wife and friends, I don’t stutter. It’s crazy.”

Being on camera in a documentary is a potential trigger for him. He almost turned down the offer to appear in Characters Unite, but he realized that not every child going through the same difficulties has the advantage of sports to help them avoid bullying. That, along with some wise words from his wife, Michelle, encouraged him to overcome his fear of being on camera in order to help Sheila.

“I didn’t want to do it because of [my stutter],” said Sproles. “But my wife talked me into it. She said, ‘You can’t keep running from the camera. Just do it. The whole world knows you stutter. It is what it is.’”

Then he paused for a minute and nodded.

“She’s a smart woman.”

The 4th Annual NFL Characters Unite Documentary airs Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network.