Shaquem Griffin, widely understood to be the first one-handed player in NFL history, is hanging up his cleats. He announced his retirement Wednesday in a personal essay for The Players’ Tribune.
In the piece, Griffin, whose twin brother, Shaquill, remains in the league, explains that retiring will give him more time to do what he’s always wanted to do: make the world a better place.
“As kids (Shaquill and I) had dreamed of playing together in the NFL, but whenever we talked about it, our dad would remind us that if we made it to the league — especially if we got to play together — that would be an added blessing. A bonus. Plan A was to go to college, get an education and do something that would make a positive impact in the world,” Griffin wrote.
He shared that he’ll be joining an NFL program that helps players navigate both on-field and off-field challenges.
“The NFL Legends Community is 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. 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 for The Players’ Tribune.
Griffin, who was born with an underdeveloped left hand that was eventually amputated, was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 draft by the Seattle Seahawks, the same team that selected his brother one year before. The Griffins played together in Seattle for three seasons, although Shaquem spent much of the third season on the practice squad.
In 2021, Shaquill signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Shaquem struggled to find a new team. In his essay, he noted that it never felt right being away from his brother.
“Football had already given me so much, and the only thing I still really wanted from the game was to play with my brother again,” Griffin said.
He praises Shaquill directly near the end of the essay, noting that he would have never had the career he did without his brother’s help.
Griffin also shared lots of kind words about his former teammates in Seattle, including Bobby Wagner, who played in college at Utah State.
“Seattle was the perfect place for me to learn how to (make a positive impact.) I spent a lot of time with K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner and so many other guys just talking about how to go about reaching people — how to really make a connection and be purposeful in my messaging,” Griffin said.
Moving forward, Griffin will focus on helping people in need, he said.
“I’m gonna 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. On to Plan A,” Griffin wrote.