PITTSBURGH, Penn. — Shortly after his eye-opening debut in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first preseason game, rookie linebacker Nick Herbig got on Instagram to celebrate the win and his 1.5 sack, three-tackle performance.
But Herbig also made sure to subtweet the NFL’s efforts to raise funds for wildfire relief on Maui.
On Wednesday, the initial names of the 106 known victims were released in the wake of the tragedy that gripped the island last week. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a Quaker Valley High School graduate, said that number could double over the next 10 days. The fire destroyed the town of Lahaina on the island, and the wreckage extends roughly five square miles.
Born on Kauai and a product of Saint Louis School on Oahu, Herbig was impacted by the images from the neighboring island.
“If you are from Hawaii, you all have that same bond; you share that same connection. Island people stick together,” Herbig said.
Herbig and his brother Nate are two of five Steelers with Pacific Islands ties. Guard Isaac Seumalo and nose tackle Breiden Fehoko were born in Honolulu while running back Jaylen Warren is of Samoan descent on his mother’s side.
“We are sharing stuff on social media. Donating ourselves, we can do that on our part,” Warren said. “We grew up on family. When we see other Polynesians going through (hard times), that’s, in some way, our family. We kind of look at it like that. We always want to help each other out.”
Seumalo says he has friends on Maui, and he and the other players of Pacific Island heritage on the team are trying to figure out a way to streamline some sort of relief effort. Fehoko, who was recently married on Maui, says the players are considering a specific directive toward helping schools in the area.
“We want to make it more focused on the high schools of Maui,” Fehoko said. “Athletics was a huge part for all the Hawaii boys growing up. If we can do that, if we can get all the Hawaii boys around the league to focus in and hone in on the athletics in Maui and get them back up and running, that’s one thing we can do.”
Fehoko says the connection between football and Hawaiian culture extends deeper than many on the mainland understand. While most think of the islands in terms of relaxation and tropical waves, he says it’s as much a traditional high school football hotbed as many places in Texas, Ohio, Florida or Western Pennsylvania.
“Football is life,” Fehoko said. “High school football means everything in Hawaii. It’s a chance to represent not only at the next level in college but also in the NFL. Kids take that seriously. … That’s why I think Hawaii high school football is such a gem. Not a lot of people realize how small it is. But it is so competitive. And everyone wants the best for each other.”
Seumalo says there is an underlying connection between those who grew up on the Pacific Islands and the game of football itself.
“In Samoa and Hawaii, they just have that warriors’ mentality. That’s the upbringing and it translates well to football,” Seumalo said.
Herbig says the connection goes to spiritual and sociological levels too.
“It gives us a way to express ourselves differently than if we didn’t play football. … It’s just bigger than who you are,” Herbig said.
