Since they were 5 years
old, Shaquem Griffin and his twin brother, Shaquill, have dreamed of playing
together in the NFL. Due to a congenital
condition, Shaquem’s left hand was amputated when he was four years old, but that
didn’t stop him from playing sports.
Shaquem and Shaquiull both excelled in baseball, football, and track in
high school and earned athletic scholarships to University of Central
Florida. Some people thought that
Shaquem was offered a place on the team in order to make sure Shaquill would
agree to play for the UCF Knights. For
two years Shaquem didn’t get to suit out for games, but he persevered. He never complained because he didn’t want to
take away from the success Shaquill was experiencing. If they had any doubts, the coaches and fans
were soon surprised and pleased. Shaquem
Griffin eventually played linebacker, was a 2 year starter, and earned 1st team
All-American Athlete both seasons. In
2016, he was voted “American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year”
and was also chosen as the MVP at the Peach Bowl ending the 2017 season 13-0.
Shaquill Griffin opted
to enter the NFL draft early and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks. On January 30, Shaquem was issued an
invitation to participate in the scouting combine for the NFL draft. With the use of a prosthetic hand, he bench-pressed
225 lbs 20 times. In the 40-yard dash,
Shaquem’s 4.38 seconds was the fastest for a linebacker since 2003. That was also the same time his brother ran last
year as a cornerback.
Shaquem, Shaquill, and
family watched the NFL draft from a hotel in Dallas. Shaquem was selected in the 5th round to play
for the Seattle Seahawks. The brothers’
dream is coming true. They will be
playing on the same NFL team this season.
Shaquem is also making history as the first player with only one hand to
be drafted by a NFL team.
Some quotes from
Shaquem’s interviews:
“I’m convinced that God
has put me on this earth for a reason, and that reason is to show people that
it doesn’t matter what anybody else says because people are going to doubt you
regardless.”
“I don’t define myself
by my successes. I define myself by
adversity and how I’ve persevered.”
“I don’t want to be a
guy who’s just a feel-good story. I want
to be a football player and a good one at that.”
“I’m blessed to have
thick skin. But I’m even more blessed to
have a family that never let me make excuses and who raised me to never listen
to anybody who told me I couldn’t do something – especially because of my
hand.”
No excuses. Shaquem Griffin had a dream and a goal and he
was willing to continually work hard to pursue it. Instead of dwelling on what he was missing,
he embraced what he did have and used it to overcome and compensate for what
was lacking. His story is also a
reminder of how important it is to use our words as gifts to build people up
and encourage them.
And
God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having
all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:8
Show
me your ways, LORD,
teach me your paths.
Psalm 25:4
Not
only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:3-4
Do
not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful
for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen.
Ephesians 4:29
No comments:
Post a Comment