Quotes about John Fonoti

About his motivation, DE John Fonoti said:
"Everything I do, is for my mom. She's my motivation. She's my inspiration." (HA)


About his Mom Fenuivao Fonoti, a 2-time cancer survivor, John Fonoti said:
"I'm trying to be strong for her. I hope she'll be OK. She's fighting it all. She's acting like nothing's happened." (HA)

HA Note: "Fonoti said his family moved to Hawai'i in 1992 after his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She survived that. But in January 2005, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Fonoti said he learned of her illness two weeks before football prospects were allowed to sign national letters of intent."


About why he chose to come to UH, Fonoti said:
"That's why I came over here (to UH) — because of my mom and (assistant) coach Ron (Lee). He kept bugging me." (HA)


About how he and safety B.J. Fruean became friends last year when they both were forced to serve an Academic Redshirt, training together and being part of the same study group, Fonoti said:
"We were in the same boat." (HA)


About how Fonoti's teammates supported him, Fruean said:
"We wanted to make sure he took care of his mom. This is Hawai'i. Family comes first." (HA)


About how Fonoti's teammates supported him, Michael Lafaele said:
"Whenever he needed a ride, we gave him one. We gave him moral support. We talked to him, made sure he went to class and did things academically." (HA)


About how he brought up his GPA and is glad to be back with the Warriors, Fonoti said:
"I tried to prove myself. When I messed up in school, everybody thought I was a failure. I'm glad to be back. I'm doing it for my mom." (HA)

HA Note: "Fonoti has impressed the coaches with his quickness and aggressiveness. Yesterday, he served as wedge-blocker on kick returns. He caught Briton Forester's pooch kick. During one-on-one drills between offensive and defensive linemen, Fonoti twice threw a blocker to the ground."


Praising Fonoti, DE coach George Lumpkin said:
"It doesn't seem like he ever left, not by the way he's been performing in practice. He's working hard and doing what we ask him to do. He loves the game, loves to hit. He does have a motor. He plays hard. He picks up things pretty quick." (HA)


Thanking everyone for helping him get his life together, Fonoti said:
"I thank coach (June) Jones for the opportunity to come back to the team, to get my life straight. I want to thank my school mentors, the coaches, the staff. They were there for me. I don't want to let them down." (HA)