1-handed linebacker gets major endorsement before his name ever got called

By Ross Kelly April 28, 2018 at 1:12pm

Shaquem Griffin may have been disappointed to not hear his name called on Day 2 of the NFL draft Friday, but the former UCF linebacker received a nice consolation prize.

Griffin signed an endorsement deal with Nike ahead of Friday’s draft action and took to Twitter to share the news.

Never doubt heart. Excited to announce I'm joining the @usnikefootball fam. Let's work! #againstallodds pic.twitter.com/kyW9Dhaw1O

— shaquem griffin (@Shaquemgriffin) April 27, 2018

Griffin should feel comfortable with the swoosh logo as UCF also has an apparel deal with Nike. That was partly spurred on by Michael Jordan’s son costing the school its deal with Adidas when the younger Jordan played basketball there.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell reported that Griffin also inked deals with Bose, JCPenney and Eleven James watches and also participated in a Twitter Q&A sponsored by American Family Insurance.

“The long-term vision of Nike and iconic message of ‘Just Do It’ fits perfectly into Shaquem’s brand and commitment to inspiring others,” said Buddy Baker, president of Exclusive Sports Group, which also represents Griffin’s brother, Shaquill of the Seattle Seahawks.

Despite being born with a condition that led to the amputation of his left hand at a young age, Griffin proved the doubters wrong at every level and is the embodiment of the hashtag “againstallodds,” which he included in the above tweet.

Do you think Nike made a smart move by signing Shaquem Griffin?

At UCF, Griffin was the AAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 and helped lead the Knights to an undefeated season in 2017.

Yet, despite his accomplishments, he was a late invitee to the NFL combine. In Indianapolis, he quickly showed why he deserved to be there and why he deserves to be in the NFL.

Griffin ran the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker since 2003 and also put up 20 reps on the bench press using a prosthetic arm.

Shaquem Griffin put up 20 reps on the bench #RESPECT https://t.co/GfihKPTeP8

— 2024 NFL Draft (@DraftRT) March 3, 2018

While Griffin’s combine performance lit up social media, it didn’t appear to do much for his draft stock.

He was projected as a Day 3 pick before the combine and that ended up being where he went. The Seahawks selected him in the fifth round and with the 141st overall pick.

That means that the Griffin brothers will be reunited as Shaquill was taken by Seattle in the third round of the 2017 draft.

Shaquill may have been born one minute sooner sooner and may have been picked two rounds earlier than Shaquem, but the younger brother likely has the edge on endorsements at this point in their careers.

Based on Shaquem’s inspirational journey to the NFL, there’s also a good chance that he’ll be among the leaders in jersey sales for a rookie, which would be quite the accomplishment for a fifth-round pick.

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