Griffins Among Seahawks: The Story Continues For Seattle’s Iconic Twins
With resilience and persistence, anything is possible.
These are words every athlete lives by, but it seems the Griffin brothers adhere to these words more than anyone.
Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, the twins famously drafted together by the Seahawks, have had a relatively quiet offseason so far. They’re training with acclaimed defensive coach Brandon Jordan, showcasing their grueling workouts on Twitter in late February.
Although Shaquill is a cornerback and Shaquem is a linebacker, the brothers build on the same defensive fundamentals to improve their game, using agility, strength, and momentum to block and cover players effectively.
The Griffins share important offseason work off the field as well, inspiring young athletes to chase the dreams they’ve made into reality. They recently met with Calder Hodge, a young high school quarterback from Texas with prosthetic legs.
If anyone knows about physical and mental adversity, it’s these two - that’s why their story has already made a mythic chapter in Seahawk lore.
It’s pretty hard not to like the Griffin brothers.
In every interview, Shaquill and Shaquem sport shy smiles as they talk about their incredible bond. They've spent decades playing football in hopes of making the NFL, and their athletic talent may even be second to their spiritedness. As dedicated as they are, family always comes before football: Shaquill turned down an offer to play for his dream school, Miami, so he could suit up with his brother at UCF.
The brothers are identical twins, but due to a rare syndrome, Shaquem had to have his left hand amputated at age four. Despite this adversity, Shaquem played football alongside his brother, with both excelling as defensive players. Shaquem wrote about his life at length for The Players Tribune shortly before draft weekend, diffusing his father’s mantra that nothing comes easy.
That character is something the Seahawks took into account when drafting Shaquill in 2017 and Shaquem in 2018.
“I don’t know that this story ever goes to rest, because it is about overcoming odds, it is about never giving up,” Pete Carroll said after drafting Shaquem. “It is about always seeing that he can turn the tide if you give him just one more chance.”
But they didn’t draft Shaquem just to make headlines. In his last collegiate season, Shaquem made an impressive 74 tackles, seven sacks and one interception. His 40-yard dash time of 4.38 at the combine is nothing to sneeze at, either.
While Shaquem was a redshirt freshman, Shaquill began playing his freshman year at UCF. He notched 49 tackles, 15 defended passes, one fumble and four interceptions his senior year. Shaquill’s play garnered attention, as he played in the 2017 Collegiate Bowl and was one of 35 cornerbacks invited to the NFL Combine. After workouts with eight NFL teams, Shaquill became the 90th overall pick by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2017 draft.
Shaquill kicked off his career with a four-year, $3.25 million contract, earning a starting spot in Week 6 of his first season. In the two seasons since then, Griffin has held the top cornerback spot, culminating in his 2019 nomination as a Pro Bowl alternate.
While Shaquem initially lacked a combine invitation, he was eventually invited, making headlines as the first potential one-handed player in the NFL. His NFL hopes remained uncertain, so when he was drafted at No. 151 in the fifth round by the Seahawks, it was a profoundly emotional moment for the brothers. Shaquill’s inaugural year in the NFL was their first year ever living apart, and there was no guarantee the brothers would play together, let alone for the same team. As challenging as Shaquem’s path to success had been, Shaquill also felt the ups and downs of facing unlikely odds. According to mother Tangie Griffin, Shaquem’s disability “was harder for Shaquill than it was for Shaquem.”
While Carroll wants his players to be happy, drafting the brothers wasn’t entirely altruistic: the Griffins earned accolades and acclaim at one of the best football programs in the AAC before becoming Seahawks.
The brothers created quite the media frenzy well after the draft, sharing their story with Sports Illustrated, 60 Minutes, ESPN, the Hallmark Channel, and even Goldman Sachs. They also shared their story in their own words with the release of their book, Inseparable, last July. Inseparable is an apt name, for the brothers made a pact together when they were eight-year olds: to stick together no matter what.
“No matter where we go or what we do in this world, we're gonna do it together,” Shaquill told K5 News last fall. The fact that they’ve actually made that happen is still unbelievable to the cornerback. “Things like this usually don't happen,” Shaquill continued. “That one percent chance of makin' it to the NFL. Another one percent chance of playing on the same team with your twin brother? It's like a Cinderella story, something you can only imagine and wish for. But for it to actually happen, there are still days I can't believe it.”
Shaquill also mentioned that the brothers share a striking fashion sense, evidenced by the game day attire they flaunt on Instagram. Their matching ombré dreads make them standout style icons, although apparently they share the same stylist as Richard Sherman. Shaquill revealed that his brother has even considered starting a fashion line, confirming that whatever the Griffins touch turns to golden opportunity. If there were ever two people to embody the hashtag #twinning, it would be the Griffins.
While they’re well-known for their inspirational saga, the Griffins are more than their backstory. They’re two talented brothers who made it to the NFL, two inseparable twins who define brotherly love, and two goofy twenty-somethings who know how to have fun.
The brothers had the rare opportunity of sacking legendary Aaron Rodgers in this year’s playoffs - together. It’s an ideal way for these two to end one season as they look forward to beginning another on a Seattle defense maintaining lofty expectations. Although their arrival caused quite the stir, it seems the Griffins are settling in quite nicely to the Hawk Nest, working to ensure that they stay there, together, for years to come.
