Tag: griffin brothers

Griffin brothers to deliver virtual commencement address at UCF

Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin of the Seahawks will be the commencement speakers at the virtual graduation ceremony at UCF in May.

COVID-19’s impact on the daily lives of everyone in the United States has been profound, turning nearly all events that are not cancelled into virtual events, for better or for worse.

Among those events that are now being held over a screen are most graduation ceremonies, both at the high school and collegiate level.

That’s not stopping schools from going out and finding notable alumni to serve as commencement speakers, and the University of Central Florida recently announced that Seattle Seahawks twin brothers Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin will be the commencement speakers for 2020.

The ceremony will be held virtually on May 2 and will be streamed on Facebook and Youtube, per a press release.

The Griffin brothers each graduated from UCF in 2016 with Bachelor of Arts in Human Communication degrees.

Shaquill has been with the team since 2017 and made his first Pro Bowl last year, while Shaquem stepped into a larger role on the defense partway through last season as a pass rusher off the edge.

The brothers will not be the only Seahawks who have given commencement addresses, as quarterback Russell Wilson gave one at Wisconsin in 2016. Free agent running back Marshawn Lynch was scheduled to present at Princeton’s Class Day as well, although the COVID-19 crisis has put that up in the air for now.

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Shaquill Griffin fired up for his first Pro Bowl appearance

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson loves playing with the Griffin brothers, and is happy Shaquill joined him at the Pro Bowl.

The Seattle Seahawks have two representatives playing in the 2020 Pro Bowl this season, quarterback Russell Wilson and cornerback Shaquill Griffin.

While this is Wilson’s seventh appearance in the last eight years, it’s the first time for Griffin, who is returning to Orlando after spending his college days at the University of Central Florida.

Griffin is not alone, thanks to Wilson, but he has also been joined by his twin brother Shaquem who has spent time with Shaquill at the first few days of festivities.

Wilson spoke about the two brothers to gathered media on Wednesday, discussing what it is like having them as teammates and being joined by Shaquill in the Pro Bowl.

“Having the Griffin brothers on our team is pretty amazing,” Wilson said. “Those guys are so dedicated to the game, they work so hard. It’s cool having them here, too. Shaquill’s been special for us. To have him out here is great and I know he’s fired up about that. They’re both from Orlando—they played here.”

Griffin earned a spot on the Pro Bowl as an alternate for Marshon Lattimore, who is not participating due to injury. Griffin finished third in the league with 14 pass breakups in 2019, his third NFL season.

The Pro Bowl will kick off at 12:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, January 26.

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Watch: Griffin brothers team up for sack of Aaron Rodgers

Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin teamed up to take down Aaron Rodgers for a crucial fourth quarter sack in Seattle’s loss to Green Bay.

The Seattle Seahawks fell to the Green Bay Packers, 28-23, when their valiant comeback effort fell just short.

Perhaps the biggest play on Seattle’s comeback tour was a sack of Aaron Rodgers on third-and-9, which resulted in a fourth-and-17 and a punt, giving Seattle the ball back with 6:27 left in the game.

The sack was more than just a crucial momentum swing though, as it was orchestrated by two of Seattle’s most beloved players: Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin, who teamed up for what was the first sack of Shaquem’s career, and the second for Shaquill.

Shaquem joined the Seahawks a year after his ‘older’ brother, getting selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. He was primarily a special teams player for the first one and a half years of his career, but when the Seahawks needed a spark of energy off the edge, Griffin was summoned to serve as a pass rusher in third down situations.

He made an immediate impact, often getting into the backfield quickly – although it took until Sunday’s game against the Packers for him to finally get a sack on the stat sheet.

The season may have ended on a sour note, with a furious comeback attempt falling short on a questionable first down conversion by Jimmy Graham and the Packers, but the Griffin brothers teaming up for a sack and giving Seattle the ball back was one of the coolest moments of the season, and will be a staple in Seattle’s film sessions for years to come.

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Away from last year’s spotlight, Griffin brothers are thriving

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll believes last year’s media frenzy impacted the Griffin brothers performance on the field.

The 2018 season was a dream come true for Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, twin brothers who were reunited once again on the football field for the Seattle Seahawks.

The heartwarming story of their reunion, coupled with Shaquem’s inspiring story of making it to the NFL despite the loss of his hand as a child, made for quite the media circus – and coach Pete Carroll believes the swarm of attention limited their focus and hurt their performance last season.

“I just don’t think he had as good of an offseason,” Carroll said of Shaquill on Wednesday. “I would say to give a reason with [Shaquem] Griff coming in, I think the two of them just–there was so much going on and so much happening that it was hard for them to maximize the focus that was necessary. They needed to learn the hard way. They needed to see it. We didn’t do as well as we could. I wish I would’ve been able to work them through it. I think it’s as natural as can be that that happened because their story, their following, and what they were dealing with was as unusual as anybody could ever have. I think it took a toll on them a little bit.”

A drop in performance for Shaquill was understandable given the circumstance, and Shaquem had to deal with sudden celebrity status while trying to find his way as an undersized linebacker and core special teamer, which is no easy task.

Fortunately, it is quite clear both players have re-charged their mental state in the 2019 season. Shaquill has put together a Pro Bowl caliber season, getting named an alternate last week, and has drawn tremendous praise from his coach.

“He’s had a terrific season,” Carroll continued. “He’s been productive. He’s been consistent. He’s been really active. It’s a whole step forward from where he was last year. He’s playing like he was capable of playing.”

Shaquem has thrived as well, finally getting a chance to do what he did best in college, rush the passer, and flashing the skills necessary to succeed in that role going forward.

Carroll attributes each of their success to learning from last year’s distractions.

“This time around, they just went shoulder to shoulder and got ready to go and have done a fantastic job for us,” Carroll said. “Just growing and learning.”

The Seahawks will hope both Griffin brothers are healthy and ready to contribute on Sunday against the Cardinals in Week 16.

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