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Shaquem Griffin, the one-handed linebacker who inspired football fans across the country, is retiring from the game.
‘Football was always Plan B,’ Griffin wrote for the Players’ Tribune.
‘It’s time for me to execute my Plan A.’
Griffin’s Plan A involves him joining the NFL Legends Community to mentor current and former players about life off the field. The 27-year-old, whose left hand was amputated at age 4 due to a congenital condition known as amniotic band syndrome, played three NFL seasons with the Seahawks before being cut in 2020. He later signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2021, but was cut in training camp and relegated to the practice squad.
The Seahawks’ decision to draft Griffin out of Central Florida in 2018 was one of the feel-good stories of the year, not only because he was the first player with a limb difference in NFL history, but because his twin brother Shaquill was already playing for Seattle.
Shaquill, a cornerback, was drafted by the Seahawks a year earlier.
Shaquem says he had other opportunities to try out for NFL teams, but without the chance to play in Jacksonville, where Shaquill is a likely starter this season, returning for another campaign was unappealing.
Shaquem Griffin, the one-handed linebacker who inspired football fans across the country, is retiring from the game. He didn’t play in 2021 after getting cut by the Dolphins in training camp
The Seahawks’ decision to draft Shaquem Griffin (left) out of Central Florida in 2018 was one of the feel-good stories of the year, not only because he was the only player in NFL history with a limb difference, but because his twin brother Shaquill (right) was already playing for Seattle. Shaquill, a cornerback, was drafted by the Seahawks a year earlier
Shaquem’s left hand was amputated at age 4 due to a congenital condition known as amniotic band syndrome. However, Shaquem (right) still excelled at sports alongside his twin, Shaquill
‘I worked out for the Cardinals, the Titans and the Jets, and then I got calls from Buffalo, Dallas and Atlanta,’ he wrote. ‘But after that Jets workout, I realized something. All this traveling around, working out for teams, trying to catch on somewhere, trying to hang on — it wasn’t what I wanted. Football had already given me so much, and the only thing I still really wanted from the game was to play with my brother again.
‘So I told my agent, Buddy Baker, thank you for grinding and bringing me these opportunities. But unless it’s Jacksonville, I’m good.’
Shaquem has been an inspiration for fans, largely because he’s refused to let his missing hand become an excuse. Even when he was cut by the Seahawks, he refused to feel badly for himself.
‘I didn’t want people thinking, Aw, the one-handed player got cut,’ he wrote. ‘I don’t do sympathy, man. I don’t like people feeling sorry for me.’
As he explained in his piece, Griffin’s father always told him that football was ‘Plan B,’ and that getting an education and making a ‘positive impact in the world’ was really ‘Plan A,’ which is what he’s embarking on now.
‘I know the positive effect I’m having on others,’ he wrote. ‘I’m speaking at colleges and universities, talking to football teams and even presenting to corporate America about never doubting yourself and tirelessly pursuing your dreams. People at companies want to hear what I have to say when actually I’m the one that can learn so much from them. It’s crazy.’
Griffin played in 46 NFL games, recording sack and 25 tackles, mostly on special teams.
Carson Pickett’s trail-blazing soccer career reached another milestone on Tuesday night in Utah , where she became the first player with a limb difference to play for the National Team
Carson Pickett #26 of the United States takes a selfie with fans after a game against Colombia
Griffin is certainly not the only well-known athlete to enjoy success despite missing a limb.
US women’s soccer star Carson Pickett’s trail-blazing career reached another milestone in June, when she became the first player with a limb difference to play for the National Team.
Jim Abbott was a dominant starting pitcher for the California Angels from 1989 until 1992, and later pitched a no-hitter with the New York Yankees in 1993 despite being born without a right hand. The Michigan native and member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame taught himself to both throw and catch with his left hand while intermittently resting his glove on his right arm.
More recently an 18-year-old old native Dominican named Hansel Enmanuel has become a high school basketball sensation in Kissimmee, Florida despite missing most of his left arm.
Remarkably, Enmanuel received a scholarship offer from Memphis coach and former NBA star Anfernee Hardaway to play for the Tigers next season.
(Left) Jim Abbott was a dominant starting pitcher for the California Angels from 1989 until 1992, and later pitched a no-hitter with the New York Yankees in 1993 despite being born without a right hand. (Right) Recently an 18-year-old old native Dominican named Hansel Enmanuel has become a high school basketball sensation in Kissimmee, Florida despite missing most of his left arm