Why Charlie Strong saying UCF’s Shaq Griffin has a ‘handicap’ wasn’t the right word choice
He said it while praising the UCF linebacker and clearly didn’t intend to say anything objectionable.
Photo by Jason Behnken / Getty Images
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
2. Shaq has one hand.
Photo by Jason Behnken / Getty Images
Griffin was born with amniotic band syndrome. That’s an exceedingly rare congenital birth defect, which affects less than one in a thousand babies. Griffin got it, and when he was 4 years old, his left hand had to be amputated.
Playing with one hand isn’t the problem for Shaquem. Convincing other people he can do it has been the bigger hurdle on his journey.
3. Ahead of the Knights’ season-defining rivalry game against USF, Bulls head coach Charlie Strong said this, via The Daily Stampede:
The things that’s really impressive about Griffin, when you’re watching — I think him and [USF WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a fellow St. Pete native and Lakewood High alum] were teammates here — is just how hard he plays.
He’s always moving, he plays with so much passion, and he’s hard to block. He’s gonna cause a lot of problems for us. He’s caused a lot of problems for everyone.
And he has the handicap, and he does not allow that to stop him from doing what he needs to do, which is really special about him.
But you watch him play, and you think guys can block him, and they can’t block him. He doesn’t get blocked. He finds a way to get to that football and make plays.
4. Griffin responded to that word choice.
5. Strong meant all of what he said as a compliment. But here’s a note to consider:
“Handicap” doesn’t fit because Griffin has more than fulfilled what a normal athlete could accomplish. As Strong said, Griffin “does not allow that to stop him.” Per these guidelines, “impairment” would’ve been a better word. Or Strong could’ve just been literal and said, “Griffin has one hand.”
6. It was clear Strong didn’t mean to say anything objectionable. The game’s announcer sums things up:
See More:
