Operating off on the typewriter …
Shaquem Griffin didn't make it within the NFL, however he made it TO the NFL.
And that’s why he'll go down as probably the most revered, revered gamers in faculty soccer historical past.
When he introduced his retirement from soccer on Wednesday, I actually didn’t take into consideration all of the performs he made as a linebacker at UCF; I believed way more about all of the lives he impacted.
He might have just one hand, however, my God, Shaquem has extra coronary heart than any athlete I’ve ever lined. He not solely made historical past when he turned the primary participant with one hand to ever be drafted into the modern-day NFL, he turned a world position mannequin to hundreds of thousands of amputees throughout the planet.
Though Shaquem was the American Athletic Convention Defensive Participant of the 12 months as a junior and was the Peach Bowl Defensive MVP within the monumental victory over Auburn throughout his senior season, he initially didn’t get invited to the NFL’s annual scouting mix in 2018. The league solely acquiesced due to immense public stress and since Shaquem begged the league to let him come. He responded by placing on a prosthetic left hand and bench-pressing 225 kilos 20 instances. Then he ran a 4.38 40-yard sprint — the quickest time any linebacker had run in 15 years.
By the point UCF’s Professional Day rolled round in 2018, the nationwide media was everywhere in the story. The NFL Community had a digital camera crew at UCF and ESPN had two digital camera crews.
Fairly truthfully, I can’t recall lots of the performs Shaquem made throughout his sensible faculty profession or his short-lived NFL stint, however I'll all the time bear in mind the smile on 13-year-old Annika Emmert’s face that afternoon 4 years in the past as she watched her hero carry out at UCF’s Professional Day.
Annika was born with the identical congenital beginning defect as Shaquem and wore a prosthetic on her proper arm. She had pushed down together with her household from St. Augustine in hopes of assembly Shaquem. As you'd anticipate, Shaquem not solely met together with her, he embraced her and spent a number of minutes speaking to her.
“Assembly him in individual was a lot enjoyable and so particular,” Annika stated that day. “His motto is ‘Towards all odds.’ I observe him on social media and each time he posts one thing, he all the time ends it with the hashtag #AgainstAllOdds. Every thing he does is an inspiration to somebody like me. What he’s performed and what he can do is wonderful. … If he can do it, I can do it.”
Little doubt about it — Shaquem Griffin will probably be remembered partly for the quarterbacks he sacked and the tackles he made, however he'll largely be remembered for the hundreds of thousands he impressed. …
Brief stuff: The brand new Florida Gators workforce photograph triggered fairly a stir amongst social media critics who had been blasting the Gators for having extra employees members within the photograph (140) than gamers (116). I’m not saying that new coach Billy Napier’s employees is bloated with pointless personnel, however do the grad assistants actually need grad assistants? My operatives inside the program inform me that Napier not solely has a espresso coordinator, he has separate cream and sugar coordinators as effectively! However, ahem, the faculties can’t afford to pay the gamers and as an alternative are begging the boosters to foot the invoice for NIL compensation. … Tom Brady is again at Tampa Bay Bucs coaching camp, however he's nonetheless ducking the media. He hasn’t answered questions since he was implicated within the tampering scandal involving Miami Dolphins proprietor Stephen Ross. In relation to coping with controversy, it appears, the G.O.A.T. is as quiet as a lamb. …
Did you need to puke as a lot as I did a number of days in the past when Cleveland Browns proprietor Jimmy Haslam tried to justify quarterback Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension by saying, “I believe on this nation, and hopefully on the planet, folks deserve second possibilities.” It’s one factor to get a second probability; it’s fairly one other factor that Haslam rewarded Watson with an unprecedented assured contract price $232 million. The Cleveland Clowns strike once more. … By the best way, I additionally noticed the place Watson has to bear counseling therapies in gentle of the sexual-misconduct allegations made by the handfuls of feminine therapeutic massage therapists. Could I like to recommend that he see a physician of creepology. …
From David Whitley of the Gainesville Solar: “Defrocked Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt completed a formidable twenty third out of 415 entries in his first World Collection of Poker occasion. Anticipate NCAA investigators to cost him with illegally recruiting the blackjack seller.” … Fox Sports activities quietly introduced they're re-hiring City Meyer by using a picture-perfect Friday afternoon information dump designed in order that Fox’s resolution to carry again Meyer as a school soccer analyst would get misplaced within the weekend shuffle. My query for Fox executives: For those who’re so embarrassed about hiring Meyer that you simply actually don’t need anyone to find out about it, then why are you hiring him within the first place? …
Poor Scott Frost simply can’t catch a break. The previous golden-boy UCF coach who's now on the new seat at Nebraska acquired barbecued once more final week when he jokingly stated Nebraska’s new offensive line coach Donovan Raiola is working his boys so onerous that the linemen had been vomiting “15 or 20 instances” per apply. Vomiting throughout apply used to represent onerous work, however now it symbolizes participant abuse. And despite the fact that Frost was clearly joking, he needed to stroll again the feedback after a firestorm on social media. Purpose No. 945 why Frosty ought to have stayed at UCF. … Talking of UCF, I've a prediction: New Knights beginning quarterback John Rhys Plumlee will account for extra whole yardage this season than former Knights quarterback Dillon Gabriel accounts for at Oklahoma. …
Concern not, NBA Corridor-of-Famer Dennis Rodman says he's going to Russia in an effort to negotiate the discharge of Brittney Griner? If the Worm may in some way pull it off, they need to additionally put him within the WNBA Corridor of Fame, to not point out awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize for Diplomacy. … From Dwight Perry of the Seattle Occasions: “The Path Blazers won't ship their TV or radio broadcasters on street journeys, as an alternative having them announce video games from house. There you may have it — the NBA season’s first non-traveling name.” … Can we get a standing ovation for Brooklyn Nets administration for really having the audacity to stare down a bratty NBA celebrity (Kevin Durant) and power him to come back crawling again. It nearly makes me need to root for the Nets this season, however not fairly. …
Final phrase: “He was all the time beneath management. I stated to him as soon as, ‘Leonard, just remember to by no means allow them to see you sweat.’ And he stated, ‘Coach, quarterbacks don’t sweat. Quarterbacks perspire.’” — Late nice Kansas Metropolis Chiefs coach Hank Stram on iconic Chiefs quarterback Len “Lenny The Cool” Dawson, who handed away Wednesday at 87.
Electronic mail me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on Twitter @BianchiWrites and hearken to my Open Mike radio present each weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and HD 101.1-2
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