Imagine stepping onto the football field, the intense roars of the crowd echoing in your ears and the electrifying anticipation of the game’s kickoff in the air.

Now, imagine facing it all while  having partial hearing loss. For Shane Messenger, a freshman student-athlete at Morgan State University, this is not a scenario to merely ponder—it’s his reality. 

Despite being born with partial hearing loss in both of his ears, Messenger, who plays as a punter for the university’s football team, proves on and off the field that his impaired hearing won’t dismay him from pushing himself on the field.

Messenger began playing football at six-years-old and says that he was committed to the sport  from a very young age. From watching Pittsburgh Steelers game DVDs on car rides and avidly following the NFL Network on TV, his passion for the game was fueled, eventually leading him to step onto the field himself. But not before his doctor would warn of the potential dangers of the sport due to his hearing loss. 

“Originally when I first tried to play, my ear doctor said I wasn’t allowed to because there was a fear that if I were to get hit, I would lose my hearing,” he said. “My thought was, ‘Well, I can’t get hit, I still want to play. I can just play kicker and I won’t have to worry about getting hit.’’’

As Messenger ventured into youth football, he explored various positions, learning to rely heavily on his limited hearing ability for communication and instructions. Reflecting on this time, he emphasized his necessity to pay attention to detail and develop self-advocacy skills.

 “I realized that I’m not always going to hear it (instructions)  the first time, so if I don’t hear it, I need to speak up to avoid making mistakes, in-game or in practice.”

 Not only did Messenger learn to advocate for himself, he also found that the kicking position would continue to be a perfect fit for him. “ I just stuck to [being a kicker] now because I knew I was good at it,” he shared. “ There were not a lot of people who could do it and obviously, if they’re not able to do it, the chances of me going to a higher level would be higher.” 

With this mindset, Messenger would attend St. John’s College High School in Washington D.C., one of the city’s top private schools and D.C. ‘s second-best high school for athletes.

He played both kicker and punter position during his time at the school and  received numerous awards and accolades. He says choosing Morgan was an easy decision for him.

He credited Damon Wilson, Morgan’s head football coach, for being one of Messenger’s key factors for choosing the university.“ [Wilson] was a coach that I really got behind and I felt like I could truly play for,” he said. “He has supported me greatly and [the team has] been very understanding of my hearing loss and help[ed] put me in situations where I am able to be successful.” 

One way Messenger ensures his success on the field is by informing referees about his partial hearing loss before games. Recalling instances in high school, he explained, “Whenever [referees] do kick off, they usually blow the whistle,” he said. “Sometimes I would have a hard time hearing them blow the whistle, so I would have one of my guys who were standing next to me give me a thumbs up when they blow the whistle or have the ref  give me a thumbs up when they blow the whistle and I know that I’m ready to go.”

He says he wears bluetooth hearing aids regularly, but mostly only at school if he needs to pay attention to something. When he is outside of school or at home he prefers not to wear them.

Messenger’s success navigating his partial hearing loss also extends in the classroom where he finds approaches to ensure his academic success.

“Some teachers will put on a video, and when it comes to that, I’ll ask them to put on closed captions so I can see the words and fully comprehend what’s going on,” he explained.  He also shared that he’ll wait to go to his teachers after class about what he didn’t think he heard and try to make at least one friend in class that can help him with note taking. 

Wilson praised Messenger as someone who consistently strives for self-improvement both on and off the field. “Shane has been a blessing to our program this semester,” he said. “He brings a tremendous amount of work ethic with him.” Wilson emphasized how Messenger’s personal journey has inspired his teammates, motivating them to aim for success without looking for excuses.

Shane Marks, a sophomore computer science major and offensive lineman said, “[Shane] puts his head down and works and it definitely rubs off on the team. He doesn’t make excuses for himself, so why should we make excuses for anybody else? That mindset definitely carries over to the weight room, on the field, and everything we do as a team.”

The team has learned to adapt in certain times to support Messenger, even developing their own creative version of sign language that involves acting something said out that they’ll use. 

Marks also said that, in meetings, if Messenger appears to be having difficulty hearing, the team will make sure to stay close by him and communicate what happened in the meeting to him.

Griffin Dorman, a sophomore cybersecurity intelligence management major and long snapper for the team, has been close friends with Messenger since their freshman year at St. Johns. 

Dorman says that Messenger has only become stronger since coming to Morgan. 

“My freshman year, we were both backups together. So we would start a play competition to see who could catch the most punts in a row,” he said. “That eventually grew to us both starting, playing, and getting better with each other.”

Dorman emphasizes Messenger’s resilience and points out that he’s not sure if people know the full scale of his story. 

“People told him if he kept playing football, he’d be deaf or after his knee surgeries, he’d never be able to play football, let alone kick as good as he does,” he shared. “He has every excuse to have stopped back when he was younger or stop now, and he hasn’t taken the easy way out.”

Messenger has had five surgeries throughout his career on his knees that would later result in screws being placed in his knees to straighten knocked knees. 

His first surgery was when he was in eighth grade. He reflected on that time saying that the only thing it has affected since has been squatting, but nothing serious.

In moments of frustration and in efforts to stay grounded, Messenger says he simply goes back to why he started and remembers how lucky he is to be able to play football.

 “ I once thought that I might not be able to play this game and now I’m here at one of the highest levels there is to it.” 

Messenger voices words of encouragement to individuals who may have partial hearing loss and aspire to pursue sports. Acknowledging, “ It’s definitely not easy, but if you’re willing to put in the work and do the extra steps that you need to do, you can do anything.” 

Highlighting that struggles are a universal experience , he said, “Everyone has their own challenges, whether it’s dealing with hearing loss or you don’t have hearing loss, or people struggling to get onto the field. Everyone is going to have some sort of challenge.”

 Messenger certainly underscores the importance of overall perseverance, stating, “ I think the work that I’m willing to do, and that if you want to do it, there shouldn’t be anything in your way that stops you.” 

Messenger, a physical education major with a concentration in sports management, has his sights set on completing his career at Morgan State University and earning his degree. Alongside his academic pursuits, he aspires to become the best punter not only in the MEAC but also in the entire FCS.

“I hope that in the next three years, I walk out of here with three rings on my fingers,” he said. “ Whether it’s a celebration bowl, FCS playoffs or something. And obviously just friends that I can have for a lifetime.”

In the team’s effort to achieve greatness this year, Shane credits their work ethic and doing the little things as their goal. 

“ We get better 1% every day. So I think that’s kind of been our big focus on getting better every day, whereas in the weight room, on the field, or, you know, even on off days, stretching, doing all the right things, the little things,” he said. 

Messenger hopes to leave behind a legacy that elevates his last name to a memorable status and to provide for future generations.

“Just being someone meaningful within the community of sports or the hearing loss community and to help bring awareness or knowledge and be impactful in a bigger way.”

Morgan State’s football team will open the 2024 season facing the Hampton Pirates at Armstrong Stadium in Hampton, VA on Saturday, Aug.t 31. Kickoff begins at 6 p.m.