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Hawaii starts NCAA season by honoring death of former teammate Scheyenne Sanitoa

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25th August 2019 12:16 AM ET
Hawaii starts NCAA season by honoring death of former teammate Scheyenne Sanitoa
Hawaii’s Scheyenne Sanitoa died at the age of 21. Pic credit: The University of Hawaii

The University of Hawaii started their college football season today in honor of a teammate that died in July, Scheyenne Sanitoa.

Before the game started, the fan Facebook page for the Hawaii Warriors posted a touching tribute to the late player.

In that tribute, the post said he “passed away on the 4th of July at the way too young age of 21.” They then sent thoughts to his friends, family and teammates.

Scheyenne Sanitoa cause of death

Scheyenne Sanitoa died at the age of 21, and according to ESPN at the time, there was no cause of death mentioned.

According to the University of Hawaii, Sanitoa’s death did not take place on campus and he was not involved in any team or athletic department activities.

However, a Facebook post by Jahlani Tavai makes it sound like a tragic passing. In his tribute post, Tavai said that he couldn’t get his head around the death of Scheyenne Sanitoa.

“To anyone reading this, if you’re going through anything or ever need help, always know there’s someone there for you,” he wrote. “For all my loved ones, I’m always here to be that open ear and help for you! Rest in Love uso!”

As a teammate and friend, it sounds like he knows the cause of death and it makes Scheyenne Sanitoa’s death even sadder.

Scheyenne Sanitoa’s brother also left a message on Twitter shortly after his death.

According to Eddie Siaumau-Sanitoa, he had spoken to his brother about his own football debut and how they were going to make their family proud.

The Hawaii Warriors

Hawaii brought in campus counselors to help students deal with the tragic death of Scheyenne Sanitoa.

The Hawaii Warriors opened the 2019 NCAA college football season without Scheyenne Sanitoa in their lineup. However, he was not forgotten.

Taking on the Arizona Wildcats, Hawaii came out on fire to start the game, and while Arizona came back they are playing to win. At the time of this writing, Hawaii was fighting and held a 28-21 lead at halftime.

Shawn S. Lealos

Shawn Lealos is a freelance writer who loves everything geek, from comics and movies to genre TV and wrestling. He is also a published author, with a book titled Dollar Deal.

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