Wholesome Reason NFL Player Learned Sign Language For His Touchdown Celebrations.

DK Metcalf, superstar Wide Receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, is known to be an incredible player. But something not so many knew about, until recently, is his interest in sign language. While he was a student at Ole Miss, he took a class on American Sign Language (ASL) and has since taken up another class, this one virtual. Although Metcalf hasn’t been very public about his interest in sign language, an interaction with a fellow teammate sparked an idea.

Boye Mafe, who took four years of ASL courses when he was a teenager, recently taught Metcalf how to sign “stand on business.” Essentially, this slang term refers to taking care of your responsibilities and to put your money where your mouth is — upon learning this, Metcalf immediately knew he’d be using it after his next touchdown.

Luckily, he had the perfect chance to show off what he learned. During their game against the Cowboys, his first of three touchdowns was one for the books — he ran 22.23 mph in a 73-yard touchdown reception, the fastest speed by an NFL ball carrier since 2020.

While in the end zone, Metcalf looked into the Amazon Prime television camera as he said “stand on business” in sign language. Although the sign he used is not considered to be by-the-book, his message came across clear, and it has left an impact.

“A few people have reached out to me saying, ‘Thank you for learning ASL,’ or, ‘Thank you for signing on national television,” Metcalf shared.

He later added, “(People are) starting to take heed, to ‘All right., what is he going to sign next or what is he signing?’ The curiosity factor comes in to where it’s bringing attention to the language of ASL, which many people did not know about.”

Metcalf has since shared that he’s quite a big fan of learning new skills, including guitar. This moment has also given him the chance to more widely discuss the ASL class he’s taking with a deaf instructor in Tennessee, Darrell Utley.

“He’s told me he has two daughters, so it’s just been very fun just to see him smiling every time we interact or anytime I know something that he’s signs to me,” he shared. “I can see just his smile light up.”

Although the two of them have never met in person, he hopes to invite him to the Seahawks vs Tennessee Titans game on Christmas Eve. In the meantime, he’s grateful for the positive impact his actions have had on the Deaf community.

“I think it’s just great that I get to learn something new,” Metcalf said. “I get to challenge myself to learn something new, and also just to bring light to a community who I didn’t know felt unseen or felt like they were being forgot about. Just shedding light on the ASL community, the deaf community to where more people are starting to learn ASL.”

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!