Sports

5 things to know about the NFL’s first one-handed player

The Seattle Seahawks' selection of Central Florida linebacker Shaquem Griffin in the fifth round of the draft on Saturday is one of those feel-good sports stories that gets everyone cheering. Here's what you need to know about Griffin, who became the first one-handed player of the modern era.

His left hand was amputated at age 4

Griffin was born with amniotic band syndrome and had his left hand amputated when he was 4 years old. ABS is a birth defect caused when parts of the amniotic sac separate and entangle digits, limbs, or other parts of the fetus.

>> Linebacker with one hand does 20 bench press reps at NFL combine

He’s a bowl MVP

Griffin played linebacker for the University of Central Florida. He was the American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year in 2016 and the MVP of UCF's Peach Bowl victory against Auburn last season when UCF went 13-0.

He impressed at the combine

Griffin stunned onlookers at the NFL combine in Indianapolis in March by bench-pressing 225 pounds a staggering 20 times with a prosthetic left hand — three more than his twin brother did the year before.

He then ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds.

>> Legion of Griffins: Seahawks select LB Shaquem Griffin

Talent runs in the family

In Seattle, Griffin will be reunited with his brother Shaquill, who was a third-round pick of the Seahawks in 2017 and became a starter in his rookie season. The brothers played together throughout their youth and at Central Florida before Shaquill entered the NFL.

His new teammates are excited

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson tweeted after Griffin was announced as the fourth selection of Saturday’s fifth round. Griffin was the 14th linebacker taken overall and eighth outside linebacker.

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