After years of coping with loss and injury, BYU offensive lineman Keanu Saleapaga started to see football as an outlet again. He had come to terms with his loss, and didn’t want his career to be another causality.
Following a series of deaths in his family, Saleapaga is back to football for the first time in nearly 900 days
Usually it took until the second quarter for him to work up the courage. He would stand by the entrance, watch a couple of plays, then leave. He would try again in the third quarter, this time getting all the way to the couch. He would watch a series, then leave again.But what brought him back quarter after quarter was the other nagging thought in his head. He had already lost so much, he couldn’t lose football, too.
“Things got heavy on his shoulders,” Lori Saleapaga, his mother, said. “There was a lot of emotional damage to him and mental damage to him. There was physical pain, too. But I’m so happy he is back.” The final blow came almost exactly a year after his grandmother’s passing. He got another call from his mom, this time about his other grandmother.
So when they saw the living room with items strung all over, Keanu’s parents intervened. It was May of 2021, just over a year since he lost both of his grandparents. And, from their perspective, Keanu was diving deeper into grief. The garage has a barber chair and razors. It has a couch and a foosball table. It has ping pong. And most importantly, it has clients.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
BYU makes list of top party schools... yes, BYUAmong the most improbable events in the history of the United States of America, perhaps the most shocking occurred Thursday with the seemingly benign release of the Top 50 Party Schools list.
Read more »
BYU makes list of top party schools... yes, BYUAmong the most improbable events in the history of the United States of America, perhaps the most shocking occurred Thursday with the seemingly benign release of the Top 50 Party Schools list.
Read more »
Soccer playoff preview: Harlan boys seek redemptionTop-ranked Hawks ready to put last year’s heartbreak behind them.
Read more »
KSAT offering exclusive Fiesta tickets for Battle of Flowers and Fiesta Flambeau paradesThe famous Fiesta parades are back this year and now’s your chance to get tickets to exclusive viewing parties, courtesy of KSAT 12.
Read more »
Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Dallas Could Lead to Fewer FloodsNature advocates say green stormwater infrastructure could cut back flooding in Dallas.
Read more »
As COVID funding stalls and masks come off, some in Houston feel left behindIn addition to loosening mask guidance, the government has cut back on purchases of COVID treatment after Congress dropped $15.6 billion in COVID response money. States are expected to see a 30 percent drop in monoclonal antibody allocations this week.
Read more »