WATCH: Jamaal Charles’ touching speech at Special Olympics – CBSSports.com – CBSSports.com

When Jamaal Charles was just a boy, before he became one of the best running backs in the NFL, he discovered that he had a learning disability and, when Charles was 10 years old, he competed in the Special Olympics. According to Charles, the Special Olympics helped him find out just how much athletic ability he possessed.

Or as Charles put it, “I learned I can fly.”

At the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics on Saturday night, Charles gave a touching speech about his struggles with his learning disability and how the Special Olympics, where he won a gold medal in track and field, helped give him courage.

Here’s a brief excerpt from his speech:

“I was afraid. I was lost. When I was a boy, I had trouble reading. I found out I had a learning disability. People made fun of me. They said I would never go anywhere. But I learned I can fly. When I was 10 years old, I had the chance to compete in the Special Olympics. That’s right — the Special Olympics gave me my first chance to discover a talent I did not know I had.”

And here’s the full video, via the Special Olympics World Games:

As Charles touched on in the beginning of his speech, he would go on to win a national title at Texas and, now, he’s one of the top running backs in the league for the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2014, Charles topped 1,000 rushing yards for the fifth time in his career.

Wink of the CBS eye to the Special Olympics for the video