Shaquem Griffin: My Hero

Shaquill (left) and Shaquem (right)runnerspace.comShaquem Griffin with one handtoday.comA four year old boy sits, screaming in pain.  Ever since he was born, his left hand has never been normal. When it comes in contact with anything, it throbs with pain. He decides he has had enough, and attempts to cut his fingers off.  His mom is alerted and sends him to the Emergency Room. “His hand was ultimately amputated when he was 4 years old” (“A Hand Full Missing Paw”).  The boy’s name is Shaquem Griffin. Unlike many Americans to this day, Shaquem Griffin is no ordinary football player. He is set to become the first player to appear in an NFL game despite an amputation (Babb). “While he was still in the womb, he was affected by a rare condition called ‘amniotic band syndrome,’ in which strands from the amniotic sac separate and entangle parts of the fetus” (“A Hand Full Missing Paw”).  “Shaquem, since he was 4, has navigated life and indeed thrived as a football player without the benefit of a left hand” (Babb).   Although he goes through rough times, “Griffin does not want your pity” (Bell).  He prides himself, as the text states,  “...in the way he conducts himself and the way he prepares…” (“A Handful Missing Paw”). What separates Griffin from the rest of the collegiate draft class is his heart: “There's no clock, no scale or tape measure to account for it. Yet somehow it's pretty much a given that Griffin is off the charts when it comes to the heart department” (Bell). What really drew the scouts’ attention was his raw strength and speed.  The text states, “On Saturday, he bench pressed 225 pounds 20 times with the use of his right hand and a prosthetic device on his left wrist” (Bogage and Boren). Later in the scouting combine, Griffin stole the show for good: “On Sunday, he followed that up with a blazing, official time of 4.38 seconds in his first attempt at the 40-yard dash, and a 4.58 in his second” (Bogage and Boren).  Shaquem Griffin’s stats alone were enough to have him drafted in the first few rounds, but it was up to the teams to decide if they were willing to risk a draft pick on a one-handed player. On April 28, 2018, Shaquem was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round at 141st overall. He may have not been a first round pick, but how he made it to the NFL is a miracle by itself. To make this story more admirable, he gets to play on the same team as his older by one minute, identical twin, Shaquill Griffin. “They're 22 now, Shaquill already an NFL player and Shaquem about to be…”(Babb). Shaquill was drafted one year earlier at 90th overall. Shaquem is an ambitious leader who deserves the respect as a hero. A character who portrays determination creates challenging goals for themselves, and a leader fights for what he wants, so they can be a good example for others. Shaquem Griffin is not only a football player, but boasts unique, authentic characteristics that help create his image as committed man who craves the hard-working part of life, and a disabled leader who serves as an inspirational role model for both the football and handicapped community.

Shaquem Griffin is depicted as an ambitious man who sets lofty goals that only he believes he can accomplish. Shaquem Griffin was not always seen as a kid who could become an NFL player one day: “Someone said he shouldn't play youth football like his twin brother, Shaquill (a Seattle Seahawkscornerback). And for his first two years at Central Florida he barely saw any action, redshirted the first year and buried on the bench the next, but explanations were far and few between” (Bell).  Griffin was doubted from the beginning.  After all, how could a one armed man play football?  Shaquem was striving to answer this question throughout his college career.  He made sure that whenever he stepped onto the football field, he would give it his 100%, even if Shaquemwasn’t feeling healthy that day.  In his mind, he knew what he wanted to do it professionally, but it was up to him to bring that goal to reality. Griffin often felt pain in his wounded left hand: “Shaquem thus experienced serious pain whenever his fingers were touched or pressured. The night he tried self-surgery, he had hit his hand against the side of the bunk beds he shared with Shaquill, who is older by one minute. The day after surgery, he was playing football again, with his ‘bandage just dripping blood’” (Bogage and Boren).  Shaquemdidn’t have it easy, as he often had to fight through the pain in his fingers. In this instance, Shaquem knocked his hand, and was so stubborn that he wouldn’t sit out football practice. All the while his hand was throbbing in pain. Shaquem fought through many injuries that he believed were minor. Griffin knew that he didn’t have to play through the pain. He knew he could just sit back and find another job. But that’s not how he wanted to live his life. Once he has his decisions set, there’s no changing them.  As illustrated by the quotes, Shaquem Griffin works tirelessly to prove doubters wrong and to create a more successful life for himself; he used his family and fans as motivation for future achievements.

Shaquem Griffin leads UCF defenseturfshowtimes.comShaquem Griffin is categorized as a leader who despite having one arm, puts more work in than most current day athletes and is not afraid to popularize himself into the real world.  Shaquem brought an extraordinary vibe to his team: “Shoot, Griffin (6-2, 185 pounds) emerged as a spark plug for the only major-college team to finish 13-0 last season and two seasons ago was defensive player of the year in the American Athletic Conference…” (Bell).  Shaquem acted as a leader on his team, often seen rallying his troops before big games. His spirit and swagger lifted his team to glory. Because of his leadership throughout the college football league, he was awarded with defensive player of the year. Griffin’s teammates acted as if they were oblivious towards his physical attribute, treating him like the leader he was.  In the heart of the UCF defense, there’a a big reason why they went 13-0. Based off the words of Griffin’s former coach, the text states, “Chinander - who called Griffin ‘the best practice player I've ever been around at any level, the NFL, college, hands down, effort-wise and making plays’ - insisted Griffin will have no problem at the pro level” (“A Hand Full Missing Paw”).  His coach was one of the many that was in awe of Griffin’s leadership skills. He believes that Griffin will do just fine in the NFL, as long as he stays true to himself and maintains his impressive work rate. Others, like Chinander, are also rooting for Shaquem Griffin to be successful in the NFL. Coming from one of his coaches who have a first hand view of Shaquem every day, that statement means a lot.  The job of the coaching staff is to prepare their players for the NFL, and if he thinks Griffin has established a leadership role as to his preparation for the next level, Chinander is hard to doubt.  From an outside perspective, it’s almost impossible to not fall under the Shaquem Griffin fan category. He sacrifices his time and body to set an example for others, and works relentlessly to impress fellow friends and coaches who are all apart of his bridge to the NFL.  

Shaquem Griffin with a one-handed fanreddit.comShaquem Griffin is not just an athlete, but sustains influential characteristics that help establish his image as an ambitious, hard-working man who rarely backs down from a challenge, and a handicapped leader who serves a dynamic role model for both the football and disabled community. Without the exclusive traits of Shaquem Griffin, he would not be the amazing man he is today. His ambitious nature helps create a mindset that guides him toward his greatest goals and wishes.  By setting his goals ever since he was four years old, it made his trip to adulthood easier and focused. In addition, Griffin is compared with the leaders of the sports role. What he accomplished throughout his collegiate career is truly remarkable considering his background story and what he had to overcome to be who he is to this day. Shaquem Griffin is unlike any other football player, because of his fanbase. “And ‘feel-good’ became something else entirely to younger fans across the country” (Axelrod).  Because of Shaquem’s positive reputation and inspirational lifestyle, he has countless followers who relate with his problems and struggles to overcome. Two specific fans of his, named Juliana Linton and Annika Emmert, both each lost one of their arms at a young age to diseases similar to Griffin.  They sent in videos showing their compassion and appreciation for what he does. Often, coaches would reiterate, football is for people with two hands (Bogage and Boren).   His response to that: “I didn't care, I was going to play football regardless…” (Bogage and Boren). He didn’t let the haters overcome his views. When insults like that were shouted at him, it only propelled him to work harder to prove to them he is capable of achieving greatness. Shaquem’s passion for the game is unmatchable.  Even the NFL rewarded Griffin for his battles, “Griffin is one of the 22 players invited to attend the draft in Dallas, and he said he's most ‘grateful’ he gets to have ‘my family there,’ seeing them fitted for suits and dresses. You only get drafted once” (“A Hand Full Missing Paw”).  Out of the whole draft class which consisted of several hundred players, only an elite group of top performers were in attendance, and Griffin was one of them. This act of a kind gesture illustrates how even big organizations have recognized Shaquem Griffin’s work.  Personally, I’m inspired because of how hard he works, and how he can compete at the highest level with people who have a normal body structure. I try to model my life after this quote, “Shaquem listened, and during practices at UCF his goal each day was to end the session ‘dead tired,’ a way to lead teammates using more than just his voice” (Babb).  “Shaquem, since he was 4, has navigated life and indeed thrived as a football player without the benefit of a left hand” (Babb).  If a one-armed man can make it on an NFL roster, you can do anything in life that pleases you.  Griffin also generates immense power: “...occasionally bench-pressing upward of 405 pounds” (Babb).  Whether it was school or sports, Griffin found a way to get it done successfully. Going through life half-completing activities is the ultimate recipe for disaster.  If you are down in the dumps and need motivation to keep pursuing your dreams, I recommend educating yourself about Shaquem Griffin. His story alone creates a rush of energy to conquer life’s problems, and provides a hero to model your life after.

Works Cited

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