Shaquem Griffin says goodbye to the NFL in a emotional text

Linebacker Shaquem Griffin announced yesterday that he was hanging up his cleats. Drafted in 2018 by the Seattle Seahawks, he became the first single-handed amputee drafted.

As reported by the ESPN site, Griffin wrote his story on theplayertribune.com yesterday while saying goodbye to the NFL. He explains that joining his twin brother, Shaquill Griffin, in the ranks of the Hawks has always been a dream, but was never his plan A.

Plan A has always been to help others and make the world a better place, he explains. His father often told him and his brother that the NFL was just extra.

"We've been told countless times, and it's still humbling every time I hear it, that there should be a movie about our journey together, and what we've been through, together, always inseparable. Maybe that day will come sooner than later. But until then, 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.""

-Shaquem Griffin

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell offered him to join the NFL Legends Program. A program that helps retired players and active players to make the transition in different spheres of their lives or help them with certain mental health issues. 

"I’m sitting at that fancy hotel having brunch with the commissioner and he’s telling me he’d love to have me as part of the Legends Program. I look around the room and see all these vets — these old-school Legends who’ve been around forever — and I’m thinking, Man, I’m 27. I’d be the youngest Legend in the room. These are the kinds of conversations I want to be a part of."

-Shaquem Griffin

He appeared in a total of 46 NFL games, and will have marked the NFL by his athletic qualities and his determination.