The former Kansas City Chiefs icon Jamaal Charles once shared at a Special Olympics ceremony about his struggle with dealing with a learning disability at a young age. The disability was discovered in his third grade, and since then, he has become a subject of trolls for others.
However, after getting selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 73rd overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Charles never let the disability come his way. In fact, the running back was one of a few elite players who showcased magnificent performances during one of the worst stretches for the Chiefs, and now he is going to embrace the honor of his incredible performance by becoming a contender for the prestigious Hall of Fame title.
Jamaal Charles earns HOF nomination in first eligibility year
Jamal’s relatively short NFL career was projected to be a barrier on his way to being inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, the Pro Football Hall of Fame slapped straight on the face of the critics by announcing Jamaal among the 173 modern-era nominees for the Class of 2024. He is the only former Kansas City veteran on the list.
Besides him, the other eight first-time nominees include offensive linemen T.J. Lang, Josh Sitton and Max Unger; wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Jordy Nelson; defensive linemen Haloti Ngata and Julius Peppers; and tight end Antonio Gates.
The list of nominees contains 94 offensive players, 62 defensive players along with 17 players from special teams. It will be trimmed from 173 to 25 Semifinalists in November, and fans will get to know the final 15 modern-era finalists in January after one more round of trimming.
Chiefs RB’s stellar NFL career
Following his draft in 2008, Charles broke out in the 2009 season by running for 1,120 yards and had another 297 receiving yards along with eight touchdowns. He played in the league for only 11 years, albeit those years were full of titles and accolades including four Pro Bowl selections and two First-Team All-Pro selections.
The ex-Chiefs legend’s 1,332 carries are the second most in Kansas City’s history and his 7,260 rushing yards is still the most in the team’s history by a significant margin, 1,190 yards. He amassed 1400 carries for over 7,500 yards as well as 44 rushing touchdowns in his NFL career.
The 36-year-old played for the Chiefs until 2016 before spending the final two years of his career donning the jerseys of the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars. He signed a one-day contract with the Chiefs in 2019 and retired after that.
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