Ken Griffey Jr.'s son opens up about why he picked NFL over MLB

By Joe Setyon May 29, 2018 at 11:24am

At six-foot-three and 192 pounds, Trey Griffey has the body of an athlete.

Given his last name, people might think Griffey would be looking to make his mark in Major League Baseball like his father and grandfather before him.

Griffey, you see, is the son of Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who blasted 630 home runs over his 22-year career. He’s also the grandson of Ken Grifffey Sr., who was named to the National League All-Star team three times with the Reds.

But a career in the big leagues isn’t in the cards for Trey Griffey, who quit baseball before high school and opted to try his luck at football instead.

The younger Griffey was a standout wide receiver in high school before attending Arizona, where he made plays like this:

MY GOODNESS. This AMAZING 95-yard catch-and-run for Trey Griffey has @arizonafball within a score on @fs1! https://t.co/AyW6xYyDHn

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) November 21, 2015

Though he went undrafted in 2017, Griffey had short stints with the Colts and Dolphins last season. In January, he signed a reserve/futures contract with the Steelers, and he’s currently trying to prove he belongs.

But why football, especially when you come from a line of star baseball players?

According to Griffey, the reason is simple: Football is what he loves. And whatever he does, he has the support of his father.

Did Trey Griffey make the right choice by picking football over baseball?

“Everybody has a love for something … and I have a love for football,” Trey Griffey told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Me and my dad talked about it and he said, ‘You have a love for football, and I could see that from a young age. I’ll always support you.’ He was never like, ‘You have to play baseball.’ He was a father, supporting his son with whatever choice I was making and leading me down the right path.”

Though Trey’s path is different than the one taken by his father, he still recognizes the important role his dad has played in his life.

“I remember how important it was just to be around my dad,” Trey said. “I wanted to be like my dad. It’s an unbelievable feeling to see your dad be a professional athlete.”

Trey is currently practicing with the Steelers at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in Pittsburgh, which is only about 30 miles from Donora, where both his father and grandfather were born.

Right now, though, he’s trying to become known for something outside of his famous family, and his father is all for that.

“I’m always seen as my dad’s son, definitely,” Trey said.

“My dad always told me, ‘I want to be known as Trey Griffey’s dad. I had my time when I was playing.’ That’s something that, when you hear that from your dad, you’re like, ‘Wow.’ With his track record, all of the awards and going to the Hall of Fame, for him to say something like that is amazing.”

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Tags:

MLB, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

Joe Setyon

Deputy Managing Editor, Editorial

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Joe Setyon was a deputy managing editor for The Western Journal who had spent his entire professional career in editing and reporting. He previously worked in Washington, D.C., as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine.

@JoeSetyon

Joe Setyon was deputy managing editor for The Western Journal with several years of copy editing and reporting experience. He graduated with a degree in communication studies from Grove City College, where he served as managing editor of the student-run newspaper. Joe previously worked as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine, a libertarian publication in Washington, D.C., where he covered politics and wrote about government waste and abuse.

Birthplace

Brooklyn, New York

Topics of Expertise

Sports, Politics