Jonathan David Fanene (born March 19, 1982) is a Samoan former professional

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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

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 was selected by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

in the seventh round of the

2005 NFL draft The 2005 NFL draft, the 70th in league history, took place on April 23 and 24, 2005 NFL season, 2005. The draft was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and was televised for the 26th consecutive year, with coverage on E ...

. 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 ...

College of the Canyons College of the Canyons (COC) is a public community college in Santa Clarita, California. It comprises the Santa Clarita Community College District. The college is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and has campus loca ...

and

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

College career

While attending the University of Utah, the Utes were able to win the

2005 Fiesta Bowl The 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2005, was the 34th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played between Utah and Pittsburgh, in front of 73,519 fans. It is notable for being the first BCS game to feature a team from a B ...

by defeating the University of Pittsburgh 35–7. At Utah, his jersey was number 91. He was a

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

major.

Professional career

At the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, Fanene had impressive scores. In the 40-yard dash, Fanene posted a 5.3 time. He also completed a 410-pound bench press.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals selected Fanene with the 233rd overall pick in the seventh round of the

. Fanene was back living in American Samoa during the draft. Once Fanene arrived in Cincinnati, he received number 68. As a Bengal, Fanene was a teammate of

Domata Peko Domata Uluaifaasau Peko Sr (born November 27, 1984) is an American-Samoan former professional football nose tackle. Peko was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafte ...

, another Samoan-born player. Fanene was quoted in the ''

Cincinnati Post ''The Cincinnati Post'' was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. In Northern Kentucky, it was bundled inside a local edition called ''The Kentucky Post''. The ''Post'' was a founding publication and onetim ...

'' about the new members:

"To be honest, it does make me more comfortable," said Fanene. "I'm used to being around different races but seeing the same nationality around you and having your friends from back home, it makes me happy to work with them." (The quote was in reference to
Domata Peko Domata Uluaifaasau Peko Sr (born November 27, 1984) is an American-Samoan former professional football nose tackle. Peko was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Pago Pago, American Samoa. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafte ...
and Matt Toeaina, both Samoan-born players on the Bengals at the time; however, Matt Toeaina was cut during the 2007 season.)

Fanene was slowed by injuries including a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury in the off-season prior to the 2006 campaign. Fanene was able to play in four of the final five games of the 2006 season. On February 22, 2008, the Bengals and Fanene reached an agreement on a three-year extension.

New England Patriots

On March 14, 2012, Fanene signed with the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

for three years, $12 million with a $3.5 million signing bonus. He was released with a "failure to disclose physical condition" designation on August 21, 2012.

Political career

Fanene had served as the Director of the American Samoa Department of Youth and Women's Affairs. His employment was terminated by American Samoa's acting Lt. Gov Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga after Fanene was arrested for a May 26, 2019 incident where Fanene physically assaulted his wife and sister in front of his own son.

Personal life

Fanene is a member of a family with 12 children, and is married to his wife Lorelei. Fanene resides in

Dayton, Kentucky The City of Dayton, Kentucky, is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city along a bend of the Ohio River in Campbell County, Kentucky, Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 5,666 at the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

, a small town across the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

from Cincinnati. They have a son, Truman. Fanene is of Samoan descent.

References

External links

Cincinnati Bengals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fanene, Jonathan 1982 births Living people Sportspeople from Pago Pago Players of American football from American Samoa American sportspeople of Samoan descent American football defensive ends College of the Canyons Cougars football players Utah Utes football players Cincinnati Bengals players New England Patriots players Pacific Islander American players of American football