Photo credit: Eric Gay/AP/REX/Shuttershock
When Shaquem Griffin was 4-years-old, he had his left hand amputated due to a rare prenatal condition called amniotic band syndrome, which causes the hand to be underdeveloped. However, that didn't stop Griffin from being named the 2016 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, the 2018 Peach Bowl Defensive MVP, or now getting drafted into the National Football League.
On Saturday, Griffin was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round, making the 22-year-old the first player with one hand to be drafted in modern NFL history. According to Tampa Bay Times, "What he doesn't have, (Griffin) said, is a handicap or a disability."
"I don't like any words like that," he said. "You've got a disability or handicap, that means you're limited to certain things. I'm not limited to nothing. I can do anything anybody else can do."
#AgainstAllOdds 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/ziEVX7cJiT
— shaquem griffin (@Shaquemgriffin) April 28, 2018
During this year's NFL Scouting Combine, Griffin ran the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker since 2003 with a time of 4.38 seconds. Griffin will join his brother Shaquill on the Seahawks' defense. Shaquill was drafted by the Seahawks in 2017.
"I've been there every step of the way," Shaquill said. "To see what he's been through and how he's overcome everything that he's been through, he's been a huge inspiration to me."
Shaquem, you're an inspiration to us all. Congratulations!