Taitusi "Deuce" Lutui (born May 4, 1983) is a

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

n-former player of

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

who was a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

for seven seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

, earning consensus

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 2005. He was selected by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

in the second round of the

2006 NFL draft The 2006 NFL draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offe ...

, and also played for the NFL's

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. One of several Tongans who have played in the NFL, he is a cousin of Vai Sikahema, the first Tongan ever to play in the NFL.

Early life

Lutui was born in Haʻapai in the Pacific island nation of

. One of six siblings, he is a younger cousin of Vai Sikahema, who became the first Tongan to play in the

when he joined the

as a

kick returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

in 1986. When Lutui was a few months old, his father, Inoke Lutui, moved the family to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, settling in

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...

, a suburb of Phoenix. When he was six years old, Lutui survived a car accident that killed one of his sisters and left his father permanently disabled. As a teenager, Lutui had to work to support his family. Lutui attended Mesa High School, where he played two-way lineman for the school's football team. In 2001, he was named Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West, All-State, all-region and all-conference as a two-way lineman for Mesa High School.

College career

After high school Lutui signed with the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

to play for the

USC Trojans football The USC Trojans football program represents the University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate ...

team. However, he failed to qualify for admission to the school. Instead, he spent a year at

Mesa Community College Mesa Community College (MCC) is a Public college, public community college in Mesa, Arizona. It is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the Unite ...

, where he played for the school's junior college football team. He then transferred to

Snow College Snow College is a Public college, public community college in Ephraim, Utah. It offers certificates and associate degrees along with bachelor's degrees in music, software engineering, and nursing. Snow College is part of the Utah System of High ...

Ephraim, Utah Ephraim is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 5,611 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the largest city in Sanpete County. It is the location of Snow College and is locat ...

, where he received a number of

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

football honors. By 2004, he had improved his grades enough to enroll at USC. Lutui was a first-team All-

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

selection and a consensus first-team

at guard for the Trojans in 2005. At 370 pounds, he was the heaviest USC Trojans player of all time.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

Lutui was selected in the second round (41st overall) of the

by the

, where he is reunited with former USC teammate Matt Leinart. As a rookie, Lutui started 9 games. In 2007, he started 15 games. In 2008, he started 16 games while the Cardinals won the

NFC West The National Football Conference – Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Card ...

with a 9–7 record and was part of an offensive line that allowed Cardinals quarterback

Kurt Warner Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, whi ...

to break single season records in completions and touchdown passes. They then had a surprising playoff run getting to

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

. During the Super Bowl, the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

's offensive line featured Chris Kemoeatu, the other Tongan in the NFL. In 2009, he started 16 games as the Cardinals once again became NFC West champions with a 10–6 record. The Cincinnati Bengals signed him to a two-year deal on July 29, 2011. On July 31, 2011, Kent Somers of ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...

'' revealed that Lutui failed his physical with the Bengals, and had re-signed with the Arizona Cardinals for one year.

Seattle Seahawks

Lutui signed with the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

on April 6, 2012. Lutui was released by the Seahawks on August 26, 2012, at the end of training camp.

Tennessee Titans

The

signed Lutui to a one-year deal on September 10, 2012. He went on to start eight games at right guard. In March 2013, he was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Personal life

Lutui is a devout member of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

. He is also an Eagle Scout. In 2004, he married the former Puanani Heimuli; they have six children. On July 2, 2010, Lutui became a

naturalized citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

of the United States. Lutui follows a semi-

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

diet to help control his weight.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lutui, Deuce 1983 births Living people All-American college football players American football offensive guards Arizona Cardinals players Seattle Seahawks players Tennessee Titans players Snow Badgers football players Tongan emigrants to the United States USC Trojans football players Players of American football from Mesa, Arizona Latter Day Saints from Arizona Tongan Latter Day Saints Mesa High School alumni Tongan players of American football Mesa Thunderbirds football players