Shaquem Griffin, the only known one-handed player in NFL history, has decided to call it a career as a player.
Griffin announced his retirement from football Wednesday in a self-written post at The Players' Tribune -- titled "Plan A" -- but he's not leaving the NFL.
At a recent meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Griffin accepted a position to join the league's NFL Legends Community, assisting retired players and helping mentor current and former players on "everything from the transition into and out of the game to how to navigate mental health issues. It's a resource to provide guidance and support to players in whatever they might be going through or trying to achieve, including assisting with community service initiatives," Griffin wrote.
That's his Plan A.
Griffin said this conversation with Goodell and a few other people at brunch during Super Bowl week helped him see his path to this next phase of his life. Upon the morning of his retirement, Griffin appeared on Good Morning Football to elaborate on the next stage of his journey.
“Plan A, for me, was always to help people," Griffin said on Wednesday. "You know, not knowing how it was going to look, not knowing how it was going to come about, but I always want to pave that way to help anybody. My mom was somebody who always helped somebody and my dad kind of preached to us like, ‘Plan B is football. Plan A is what you need to focus on. That’s what you got to school for, that’s what you get the good grades for.’ Now it’s starting to become a real thing, and that’s why I was smiling so hard because It’s an exciting thing. It’s bittersweet, yes, but it’s an exciting moment to embark on a journey that I always wanted to be in, and that’s motivating people, helping people. Having people have that positive mindset; that mentality to be better than what you think you really are because you have so many people who believe in you, love you and sometimes you got to tap into that side to see more for yourself and that’s what I was able to do.”
Griffin starting at UCF, being drafted into the NFL and playing three full seasons with a playoff contender might have been viewed as incredible achievements for any player, much less a one-handed one.
He first captured the imagination of the football-watching nation with a banner performance for Central Florida in a Peach Bowl win over Auburn, with 12 tackles (3.5 for loss) and 1.5 sacks. Then Griffin stunned observers at the 2018 NFL scouting combine, running a reported 4.38-second 40-yard dash.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, where he played alongside his brother Shaquill Griffin, Shaquem appeared in 46 games (one start) over three seasons with Seattle. The 6-foot, 227-pound linebacker mostly played on special teams, notching 25 tackles, one sack and six QB hits during his career while also finding another big sack during the 2019 playoffs in Green Bay. Griffin also spent time on the Miami Dolphins' roster before being released last summer.
If his work with fellow ex-players is as impactful as his football achievements have been to date, Griffin would be a tremendous asset to the league.
Griffin wrote that "it's almost unthinkable" that he's moving on from playing but that "I know the positive effect I'm having on others. 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," he wrote.
Griffin said that the lessons he learned growing up will help guide him in his new role. He wants to "go build something new so I can do what Dad always told us to do: leave the world a better place than when we found it."
The NFL is a better place with players such as Griffin around the game. It's a good thing he's not leaving the league, even if he's not playing anymore.
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