This is not another Shaquem Griffin story.
By now, you've probably heard how that one goes. Griffin _ a 6-foot, 227-pound rookie linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks _ was born with amniotic band syndrome, a congenital disorder that disrupted the development of the fingers on his left hand. Every time the hand banged on his bed frame or brushed against his twin brother, streaks of pain burned through his body. When he was 4 years old, the hand was amputated.
He played football and baseball and ran track anyway. He earned a scholarship to the University of Central Florida anyway. He was named 2016 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year anyway. He was drafted by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft anyway. He reunited with his brother _ second-year cornerback Shaquill Griffin _ on Seattle's active roster anyway.
He told his story anyway, and in doing so, Shaquem became much more than an anonymous fifth-round pick. He became a symbol for countless kids subjected to similar circumstances. He became a running, tackling, pass-rushing personification of perseverance. He became the unlikely centerpiece of Nike and Gillette's nationwide commercial campaigns. He became an example.
And, no, that's not too much for a 23-year-old rookie in Renton to bear.
"I never felt that way," Shaquem said this month of the pressure associated with his spotlight. "I do what I do. I live my life the way I've been living it. I haven't changed anything.
"A lot of people say, 'Do you feel a lot of pressure?' There's not that much pressure, to be honest. You meet kids. You talk to people and tell your story. If you're a person who likes helping people, you'll never be overwhelmed with all these people you want to help. I don't feel like I'm overwhelmed from meeting people and telling my story over and over again.
"I'm not overwhelmed because that's something I want to do. That's something I've always wanted to do. If that's my way of giving back _ if that's my way of helping others _ then that's what I'll do."
So Shaquem will keep doing what he does _ running, tackling, smiling, serving.
He'll keep telling his story, so kids like these can tell theirs.
