Esera Tavai Tuaolo (born July 11, 1968 in Honolulu, Hawaii) played professional football in the United States for nine years including a trip to the Super Bowl. He is of Samoan ancestry. He was raised in poor circumstances in a banana farming family. His father died when he was 10. He played for Oregon State University in college and was selected in the 1991 NFL Draft. Nicknamed "Mr. Aloha", Tuaolo played nose tackle for several teams in his career, reaching the Superbowl while playing with the Atlanta Falcons. He also played for the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers during his nine-year career. In 2002, having retired from sports, he announced publicly that he is gay and lives with his partner Mitchell Wherley and their children. This made him the third former NFL player to come out, after David Kopay and Roy Simmons. He has since worked with the NFL to combat homophobia. His autobiography "Alone In The Trenches: My Life As A Gay Man In The NFL" was released in Spring 2006. We were lucky enough to meet him in person at his book signing party. I'm truly honored to share the few pictures I took of him [before my camera decided to play up :-( ]....... Mz. June