Jesse Steven Kahuanani Mahelona (April 7, 1983 – September 5, 2009) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

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

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

and was selected by the

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 ...

in the fifth 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 ...

. In addition, Mahelona was a member of the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, and

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

College career

Mahelona attended and played college football at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

under head coach

Phillip Fulmer Phillip Edward Fulmer Sr. (born September 1, 1950) is a former American football player, coach, and athletic director at the University of Tennessee. He served as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1992 to 2008, compiling ...

. He contributed in the 2004 and 2005 seasons as a junior college transfer from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

He was selected by the

in the fifth round of the

. He played ten games for the Titans in the 2006 season, and was released on September 11, 2007.

Miami Dolphins

On October 24, 2007, Mahelona was waived by the

Atlanta Falcons

Mahelona was signed by the

on November 20 when Rod Coleman was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. He was cut on December 29, 2007.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Mahelona was signed by the

on August 7, 2008, after

Tywain Myles was waived. He was cut August 30. He did not make the opening day roster.

Death

Mahelona was killed in an automobile accident in Hawaii early on the morning of September 5, 2009. Mahelona's vehicle collided with construction equipment. Police reported that speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.

References

External links

Tennessee Volunteers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahelona, Jesse 1983 births 2009 deaths Players of American football from Honolulu American football defensive tackles Tennessee Volunteers football players Tennessee Titans players Miami Dolphins players Atlanta Falcons players Jacksonville Jaguars players Road incident deaths in Hawaii Alcohol-related deaths in Hawaii Pacific Islander American players of American football