Shaquem Griffin, a one-handed linebacker, retired from the NFL. Here’s his next plan.
Former UCF star linebacker Shaquem Griffin announced Wednesday that he was retiring from the NFL.
But that was always his Plan B.
Griffin wrote on The Players Tribune about retiring and his Plan A, which is to join the NFL Legends Community.
“[It’s] a program through which retired players help mentor current and former players on everything from the transition into and out of the game to how to navigate mental health issues,” Griffin wrote. “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, a St. Petersburg native, said in his Players Tribune piece that he was offered the position during a meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in Los Angeles during Super Bowl week.
Griffin’s journey to the NFL received national attention at the 2018 NFL Draft. He has one hand as a result of a rare genetic condition when he was a small child. His performance for UCF in a Peach Bowl victory over Auburn that capped an unbeaten Knights season, followed by a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine shot his stock up.
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Griffin in the fifth round, where he was reunited with his twin brother, Shaquill. During three seasons, he played in 46 games with one start. He bounced around, including time with the Miami Dolphins, before deciding that his football career, which was always his Plan B, was over.
“Honestly, it’s still a little surreal. After everything I’ve been through in my life — all the hard work, all the doubters — it’s almost unthinkable that I’m hangin’ it up and moving on from the game of football,” Griffin wrote.
“But 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.”
