Seattle Seahawks players Shaquem & Shaquill Griffin are identical twins in the NFL. Shaquem only has one hand, but he didn’t let that stop him from fulfilling his dream and his “big” brother made sure of it. Get into their super inspirational story inside…
They say the love twins share runs deep. NFL stars and identical twins Shaquem & Shaquill Griffin are true testaments to that saying. Their brotherly bond is hella tight and nothing will ever come between them.
The twin brothers made a pact when they were just 8-years-old that they would never leave the other behind. And that commitment to one another allowed them both to become star players for the Seattle Seahawks.
The odds of playing in the NFL are already slim. According to reports, only nine high school football players out of every 10,000 will be drafted by a professional team. So, imagine the odds stacked against a player with just one hand.
Arriving in style. @Shaquemgriffin x @ShaquillG pic.twitter.com/frm5lFR0re
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 22, 2019
Shaquem Griffin became the first one-handed player in the modern era of the NFL and his “big” brother Shaquil was one of the driving forces that led to Shaquem making it to the big league.
"We promised each other. Nothing will stop us. Nobody will interfere in what we want. And that's to be together,” Shaquil said during an interview with “60 Minutes.”
Shaquil is uber protective of his brother, proudly toting the “big brother” label since he was born one minute before Shaquem. And he takes on the role very seriously.
”60 seconds. But he makes it feel like its been years since he's been born. he does good at his job I guess because he thinks it's a job being a big brother,” Shaquem said about his twin brother.
When they were kids, their parents – Terry & Tangie Griffin – said they had loads of energy and sports was a way to tire them out. Even then Shaquem was very protective over Shaquil.
Nothing slowed Shaquem down, including the birth defect that deformed his left hand. During pregnancy, small strands of tissue constricted his fingers. It's called amniotic band syndrome. The undeveloped hand caused him pain until it was amputated when he was four.
Top schools in the country where offering Shaquil football scholarships, but he turned them down when they wouldn’t allow his twin brother to attend and play as well.
"Just don't offer me. If you don't offer my brother, don't offer me. Because I'm not leaving him,” Shaquil said.
It was the University of Central Florida that gave the Griffins exactly what they wanted: twin scholarships. But while Shaquill became a star, Shaquem was stuck on the bench. Coaches constantly told him he'd only be a shadow of his brother.
At one point, Shaquem wanted to quit, but he decided to keep playing because he knew how it would affect his twin brother.
It took a coaching change to give Shaquem a fresh start. He spent his last two years in college playing like a man possessed, determined to destroy doubt or anything else in his path.
Despite being named the defense player of the year in his conference, the NFL did not invite Shaquem to the combine, which is a showcase for players looking to make their mark in the NFL. Twin brother Shaquil was furious, so he took matters into his own hands.
Graduating a year earlier, he was a star rookie on the Seattle Seahawks. He demanded his brother get a chance in the league, lobbying his coaches in Seattle to give his brother a chance. And it worked. They invited Shaquem to the combine. And guess what? He KILLED IT.
There was talk that Shaquem would be selected by an NFL team as soon as the third round of the draft, but that never happened.
Instead, Shaquem got picked up during the fifth round of the draft. Woot! Seahawks coach Pete Carroll called Shaquem to personally share the good news.
Last season, Shaquem played every game, mostly on kick returns. Over the summer, he bulked up some and is determined to earn more playing time this season.
"To the point where, you know – it's not about me having one hand, it's about me being a great football player. Don't matter if I am playing on special teams, don't matter if I am playing linebacker, I want to be the best at what I am doing,” Shaquem said.
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True testament that you can do anything if you put in hard work to achieve it.
Photo: Getty
source: theybf
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