NFL LB Shaquem Griffin Announces Retirement

Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin announced his retirement from professional football after four NFL seasons.

Griffin announced his retirement in an article for The Players Tribune. He said he was approached by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to become part of the NFL Legends Program, where retired players mentor and help current players transition into life as professional athletes.

Goodell extended the offer to Griffin over brunch during Super Bowl week earlier this year.

"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," Griffin wrote. "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."

The former UCF standout mentioned that he had mostly made his mind up about retiring before meeting with Goodell. After three seasons in Seattle, he spent the 2021 season as a free agent after getting cut by the Miami Dolphins during camp

"I had kind of already made up my mind before that, but that experience and that invitation from the commissioner locked me in and led me to the decision I had to make.

"The time has come for me to retire from professional football."

Shaquem Griffin played alongside his twin brother Shaquill in both college and the NFL. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM )

Shaquem Griffin Gained Attention In College

Shaquem Griffin first caught most people's in college when he played for the UCF Knights. He played alongside his twin brother Shaquill Griffin, currently a cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

There was another thing that made Shaquem Griffin stand out: he only has one hand, having lost his left hand at an early age due to a birth defect.

While his brother went off to the NFL, Shaquem — having redshirted his first season — was a major factor in UCF's undefeated 2018 season, which was capped off with a Peach Bowl victory over Auburn.

That season put the UCF football program on the map and helped Griffin's draft stock to the point that the Seahawks picked him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He played alongside his brother for three seasons in Seattle.

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