HOUSTON — When Houston Texans rookie linebacker Henry To’o To’o takes the field against the New England Patriots in their preseason opener on Thursday night, he won’t just be playing the game he has loved since he was six years old for himself, but for his family and his culture.
“Man, it’s a blessing,” said To’o To’o after practice when asked about the importance of his family being along with him on this journey. “I’m Samoan and Tongan, and in the Polynesian culture, we’re huge on family, and family means everything. Faith, family, and football that’s what we believe in. I carry my last name, To’oTo’o, with pride, and I’m the first one to do this, so I carry that with joy, and I’m going to give it my all while I’m here.”
Iese and Rima To’oTo’o, Henry’s parents, who can be seen at mostly every Texans training camp practice, had faith in their son that he could do anything he set his mind to do. The only requirement is that whatever career path he selected, his faith in God and his family would come before anything else. Football was his choice, and he has kept those core values throughout his journey to the NFL.
“We used football as a tool to not only strengthen him as a man but his faith,” said Iese To’o To’o [Henry’s Father] about the early years of his son’s playing days. “Things don’t come easy. You have to work hard for it. Everything you work hard for, it might not happen in your favor at that moment, but you have to keep chipping away at it. It is just like God’s work, it may not happen at that moment, but you are probably there to merely plant the seed, and the next messenger comes along and nurtures it.”
To’oTo’o’s path led him to the Tennessee Volunteers after being named Player of the Year his senior year at De La Salle High School. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2019, finishing the season with 72 tackles. The following year he led the Volunteers in tackles with 76.
“Faith, family, and football,” said Texans rookie LB Henry To’o To’o are the standards for his life. #Texans #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/IzhXpeDwtr
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) August 5, 2023
With turmoil and uncertainty surrounding the Tennessee program, To’o To’o entered the transfer portal and selected the Alabama Crimson Tide as his destination to finish his college career. It was a choice he made with the blessing of his family, but it was a tough one as his culture is big on protecting the family name.
“In our culture, we are very big on faith,” said Iese To’o To’o. “We are faithful people. Not only to the Lord but to your family as well. Loyalty is a big thing in our culture, and he would not have made it this far without the love of God and his family. So, he [Henry] chooses to carry us, and everywhere he goes, he does his best to try to represent all of us.”
To’o To’o would make a name for himself at Alabama in his two seasons, exactly as he did at Tennessee. In the Nick Saban-led defense, he could constantly be seen making plays on the field, which led to a 2022 First-Team All-SEC selection and being drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (167 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft, which landed him with his best friend Christian Harris who was drafted in 2022 and teammate Will Anderson, who went third overall in the same draft class as To’o To’o.
“I don’t think there was ever a point; I am still living the dream right now,” Iese To’o To’o smiled and said when asked about the point he knew his son would make it to the NFL. “I just knew he had work ethics that were different. But to say that there was a point when he was little, in high school or college, there was never a point. I just knew that I had to keep pushing him so he could fulfill his dreams.”
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