Warriors juggle football, families

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i linebacker Chris Brown can bench press 500 pounds and inhale ammonia tablets without spilling a tear drop.

Linebacker Chris Brown, right, thanks his parents for helping him raise his 4-year-old son, Elijah. "I couldn't have done any of this without my family," says Brown. Advertiser library photo • March 2001

"I was scared," he recalled.

But, finally, in a Burger King parking lot, Brown broke down.

"I had to focus on his feeling and emotions," said his mother, Cynthia Brown. "I told him, 'We will help you raise this little one.' We wanted Chris to go to college. It was difficult, but we wanted to support our son and our grandchild."

Elijah, now 4, spends Sunday morning through Friday afternoon with the Browns, and the rest of the time with his mother's family. Chris Brown and Elijah's mother are no longer a couple.

"I tell (Elijah), 'Right now, Mom and Dad are busy and you need to stay with Grams and Grandpa,' " Cynthia Brown says. "He's adjusted to it, and he sees our home as being a stable environment. He's doing very well."

Said Chris Brown: "I couldn't have done any of this without my family."

Cynthia Brown also warned: "Do well in school. This is an investment for you and your son's future."

Chris Brown's situation is not unique. State figures show that in 570 of 17,567 births in Hawai'i in 1998, the father was 18 or 19 years old.

Of the 105 UH football players this year, there are 11 fathers, and one player's wife is expecting.

"As a staff, we try to make sure the players know how to manage their time, especially guys with children," said UH assistant coach Rich Miano, who gives each player a Day Planner before the start of training camp. "They have to be on the clock. When you have school, practice and other responsibilities, what are you going to eliminate? It has to be the social life, because we expect them to be good fathers to their children. As much energy as they put into being good students and players, they need to do as much to be good fathers, too."

Still, in nearly all of the situations, family members help in the care and support of the child.

Experiencing fatherhood

Safety Nate Jackson said he receives a scholarship check from UH, a stipend from the Kamehameha Schools (although he graduated from Wai'anae High, he qualifies because he is part-Hawaiian), student grants and extra money from a part-time job painting houses. Still, he relies heavily on family members "to get us through these times. My girlfriend's mom helps a lot. She babysits while my girlfriend is at work and I'm at school."

Even though right guard Vince Manuwai lives at his girlfriend's home in Kahaluu, he said, "When people ask, 'Who raises your daughter?' I tell them, 'My girlfriend and her parents.' They spend time with her. They feed her. I couldn't have done it without family."

Left tackle Lui Fuata, whose daughter lives on Maui with his former girlfriend , said, "It really takes a lot of help. If it weren't for my baby's mom and our families, I wouldn't be out here playing football. They give me a lot of support and understanding."

Fuata also recalled being scared when he learned he was going to be a father. "I went through a lot of emotions," he said.

But assisting in the delivery, he said, "made everything seem right. Being in the operating room, watching the birth, I knew whatever I did, I would do it for my child. I have more incentive to graduate and do well."

Left guard Manly Kanoa III also said he has found fatherhood rewarding. Kanoa and his wife, Sarah, arranged their school schedules so one of them is always with their daughter, Emma. They clip coupons and live on a tight budget, "but it's worth it," Kanoa said.

"It's been different, living on our own and taking care of a baby 24 hours, but we're very happy," Kanoa added. "Now, instead of goofing off during my free time, I'm doing something useful."