INSPIRATIONAL STORY
Griffin glad he can motivate and excel despite his disability
INDIANAPOLIS — Where most would see an insurmountable disability, Shaquem Griffin just sees something he had to adapt to.
Because of a prenatal birth condition called amniotic band syndrome that involved fibrous tissue cutting off circulation to his hand like a rubber-band effect, Griffin was born with a deformed left hand.
It grew so painful that he once got out a kitchen knife when he was 4 and was poised to hack off the appendage that was causing him so much agony.
His mother took the knife away in time before he could hurt himself. The next day, his left hand was amputated.
The identical twin brother of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Shaquil Griffin, Shaquem has emerged as the inspirational story of the NFL scouting combine.
“I hope I inspire a lot,” said Griffin, an outside linebacker from Central Florida. “I always tell everybody, if I can inspire one … they can inspire another and inspire a thousand later. If I keep doing what I’m doing now, I can change the minds of a lot of other people later. That’s kind of cool when you have guys at that top level, the best of the best, and they come and talk to you about you motivating them and inspiring them.
“I feel really good hearing that from them. It motivates me to do more and keep pushing when you’ve got guys all over the place, the top in the country, and they’re proud of me. That was an amazing feeling.”
A late invitee to the scouting combine and the Senior Bowl allstar game, where he impressed the Texans’ coaching staff, Griffin stamped himself as a combine hero and an instant television sensation.
Griffin ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any linebacker since 2003, clocking a blazing 4.38. That’s faster than most defensive backs, a position he could project to in the NFL.
Using a special prosthetic device to allow him to grip the bar, Griffin pumped out 20 repetitions in the bench press. He had never lifted that many before and it was three more than his brother did last year before his rookie season.
The 40-yard dash time was the same his brother ran last year. He’s 30 pounds heavier than his brother, though. Incredibly, the 40-yard dash time was faster than Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
‘Legitimate football player’
“I almost got choked up watching that,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “I watched his tape months ago and I was like wow. This is a legitimate football player. Forget about the deformity or whatever you want to call what he has.
“He’s an energy giver. I don’t know if any of you were in the weight room. Some of my buddies were in there and they said it was awesome. I think that whole group with him is going to feed off of him. I got chill bumps watching him do 20 reps. He’s going to be on an NFL team next year.”
It was a special performance, so much so that Griffin drew praise on social media from everyone from Texans defensive end J.J. Watt to Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman to injured Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier.
The emotions were running high for Griffin. All he wants is a chance to play the game.
“I mean, it’s amazing,” Griffin said. “Obviously a lot of people didn’t feel like I was going to do the bench press and for me to be able to put a prosthetic on, I remember when I first started using the prosthetic, I had just the bar and I was shaking all over the place when I first got to UCF and being able to put up numbers like that, with good competition with everybody, it’s amazing because it just goes to show how much hard work I put in to get this level.”
In his final two seasons for Central Florida, Griffin piled up 166 tackles and 18½ sacks.
He was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year two seasons ago. He finished last season with 44 solo tackles, 13½ for losses, seven sacks and one interception. He had 11½ sacks and 20 tackles for losses as a junior.
The success on the field doesn’t give Griffin pause. It’s what he expects to happen.
“Nah, I’m not amazed at all,” Griffin said. “I know what I can do, and the one thing I can do is to go out there and make sure I do it. A lot of people see somebody who has one hand instead of two, and they think it’s different or it doesn’t make sense: ‘Oh, he has one hand. How can you play football?’ “Well, what if I say, ‘You have two hands, can you play football?’
“At the end of the day, you have to show what you can do. Don’t set limits for me, because when I wake up in the morning and I brush my teeth and I look at myself in the mirror, its only me that I see in the mirror. When I look in the mirror, it’s up to me to accomplish everything I want out of life.”
In the NFL, Griffin projects as a special-teams ace, a blitzing linebacker and a box safety.
He’s tough, athletic and versatile.
And he plays the game with his heart on his sleeve. His enthusiasm is infectious.
“Very unique player,” Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said. “I haven’t had an opportunity to meet him yet, but outstanding kid. He’s very exciting to watch on film because he just plays with his heart, with passion, and he gives you everything he has on every snap.
“I don’t think (one hand) should be a factor, just because he’s shown he can be productive at a high level against some high-level competition. I think each team will make that determination, but we think he’s a heck of a football player, and that won’t be a factor for us.”
Stars show their respect
The respect came pouring in from NFL luminaries following Griffin’s combine workout.
“Shaquem Griffin killing it,” Watt wrote on Twitter.
“If he doesn’t get drafted in the first two days, the system is broken,” Sherman wrote on Twitter.
“Griffin was flying,” Shazier wrote “He not messing around.”
Griffin met with the New York Giants, Jets and Seahawks at the combine, among others.
Despite an ailment that would prevent most from even attempting to play football, Griffin is thriving.
His perseverance is paying off with major dividends. He’s projected as a rising middleround to later-round draft target.
“People talk about what I can’t do and what I can’t accomplish,” Griffin said. “I’m definitely going to show everybody. There’s always going to be questions, and I have to hold myself to a higher standard.
“If I drop the ball, it’s because I have one hand, not because of anything else, even if people with two hands drop the ball. At each and every level, I’m about to prove people wrong. I’ve never had a problem doing that.”