Meet Shaquem Griffin, who made history with the Seattle Seahawks and became a football star(Getty)
After years, the linebacker made NFL history when the Seattle Seahawks selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.But Griffin’s journey to the league was not a straight path. In a December 20, 2017, interview with The Los Angeles Times, Griffin recalled waking up after surgery with a bandage on his hand. Shaquem Griffin was four when doctors amputated his left hand after a rare condition caused him severe pain. He returned to football almost immediately. He faced doubts as a child, struggled to earn playing time at UCF and spent one summer working two jobs while his twin brother trained for college football. Shaquem Griffin was born with amniotic band syndrome, a condition that affected the development of his left hand. His fingers caused so much pain that he once tried to cut them off himself. His mother, Tangie Griffin, found him in the kitchen with a knife when he was four. Doctors performed the amputation the following day. All he wanted was to leave the hospital. His mother soon discovered how quickly he wanted to return to his normal routine. She had taken him to daycare the day after the operation and asked staff to keep him away from outdoor activities. Instead, she found him outside holding a football, with blood running from his bandage. Griffin explained his decision in the same interview: “I didn’t care, I was going to play football regardless. That attitude was already familiar to his family. Griffin and his identical twin, Shaquill, grew up playing sports together in St. Petersburg, Florida. Their father made training equipment for them and encouraged both boys to work on their strength. Shaquem learned to adjust his grip and use his right hand, rather than treat his missing left hand as a reason to stop.
Griffin later described the episode in a March 2, 2018, letter to NFL general managers published by The Players’ Tribune. Griffin worked with his father, who owned a towing business, from 7 a.m. to around 6 p.m. He shared the story in his March 2018 Players’ Tribune letter, explaining that the message reminded him of the advice his father had given him throughout childhood. He became a regular starter, recorded 92 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 2016, and earned American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honours. His final college season in 2017 brought even more attention. UCF finished 13-0, and Griffin helped the Knights win the Peach Bowl against Auburn on January 1, 2018. Then came the NFL Scouting Combine in March 2018. Griffin ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, the fastest time by a linebacker at the combine since 2003. He also completed 20 repetitions of the 225-pound bench press using a prosthetic attachment. Several players heard their names before Seattle selected Griffin with the 141st overall pick in the fifth round on April 28, 2018. The Seahawks had drafted Shaquill in the third round in 2017. Shaquem spoke about the moment after the pick in an interview with SeattlePI on April 28, 2018. The Seahawks gave him that opportunity, and Griffin made the 53-man roster ahead of the 2018 regular season. He appeared in all 16 games as a rookie and started once. Across three seasons in Seattle, he played 46 regular-season games and recorded 25 tackles and one sack, according to NFL.com. His most memorable NFL moment came in the 2020 season. During Seattle’s NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams on January 9, 2021, Griffin recorded a sack on quarterback Jared Goff. He had also played in the Seahawks’ playoff games in earlier seasons, including the 2019 postseason. Griffin signed with the Miami Dolphins on July 23, 2021, but did not appear in a regular-season game for the team. On August 24, 2022, he announced his retirement from professional football. After Seattle’s final preseason game in 2018, Griffin met 30 children from NubAbility, a nonprofit that helps young athletes with limb differences take part in sports. In comments published by the Seahawks in 2019, he said: “It doesn’t matter what limits you have, as long as you give it everything you’ve got, eventually it’s going to pay off.
Because football was a two-handed sport, his youth team had a chance to reach the playoffs, but an opposing coach reportedly argued that Griffin should not play. Because nothing comes easy. The Seahawks reported that Griffin also met children at games and practices throughout the season.
The customer told him: “Keep on working, son. He said: “Just to be there with my brother, I couldn’t ask for anything (more) in the world (than) to be back with him. Speaking to NFL.com after the selection, he said he regularly reminded Seattle’s decision-makers about his brother’s workouts and progress.
He also had to deal with people who questioned his place in the game. One incident happened when he was eight. His coach let him decide if he wanted to play. Griffin stayed in the game, intercepted a pass and helped his team win. The moment became an early example of how he handled rejection. In his letter, he wrote: “Nobody was ever going to tell me that I didn’t belong on a football field. The twins carried that determination to Lakewood High School. They also made a promise to attend the same college. When scholarship offers began arriving, Shaquill received more attention from recruiters. The brothers stuck to their agreement and chose the University of Central Florida. College, however, did not immediately go as planned for Shaquem. He redshirted his first season. During his next year, he worked his way up the depth chart but eventually dropped to third string and then the scout team. Shaquill was moving forward, while Shaquem struggled to find a regular role. The difficult period reached its lowest point during the summer before his third season. UCF kept Shaquill in Orlando for workouts but sent Shaquem home to St. Petersburg. In his Players’ Tribune letter, Griffin described it as the first time the brothers had spent an extended period apart. He did not spend that summer sitting around. He then trained with his former high school’s track team before joining his older brother, Andre, to clean offices at a Chevrolet dealership. The work often continued until midnight, six days a week. One customer gave him a five-dollar bill after Griffin helped tow his car. Before handing it over, the man tore the bill in half. He gave Griffin one piece and kept the other. Griffin kept the torn bill. It also came during a period when he had begun questioning his football future. Shaquem eventually returned to UCF under head coach Scott Frost. The opportunity changed his college career. He earned the game’s Defensive MVP award. The performance strengthened his case as an NFL prospect. Still, the draft brought its own anxious wait. The selection reunited the twins on the same team. Shaquill had also pushed for the reunion. He wanted the team to give Shaquem a chance. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines His impact had already reached beyond the field. After meeting the group, Griffin spoke about what he wanted the children to take away from the experience. The NFL career lasted four seasons, but Griffin’s path to the league gave him a platform to reach people who rarely saw athletes with limb differences competing at that level. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.