Noah Sewell proud of Samoan roots, family’s football presence

Noah Sewell spent the first nine years of his life in the small village of Malaeimi on the island of American Samoa with his parents, three brothers and one sister. When he was growing up on the Polynesian island, most Samoan boys only had two options for a career path — enlist in the Army or play football.

For Noah and his brothers — Gabriel Jr., Nephi and Penei — putting their energy toward football served as a way to stay out of trouble and develop a passion for a sport that could create endless opportunities for the family. The four boys began watching the NFL and idolized Polynesian players like legendary Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and longtime Bengals nose tackle Domota Peko.

“Football was the only thing that kept us grounded, kept us where our feet were,” Noah said. “It taught us more about life than any other experience. I’d say we leaned more towards football because we saw more Poly athletes. There were quite a few in the league, but I just feel like all the kids from the islands looked up to them and saw the path that they set for us. We were trying to uphold that standard that they set.”

In 2012, the Sewell brothers began the serious pursuit of forging their own path. Their parents moved the family to Utah, allowing Gabriel Jr., Nephi, Penei and Noah to have a shot at earning scholarships to play college football.