Jesse Mahelona, a 2001 Kealakehe graduate who played football for the University of Tennessee and in the NFL, was killed in a car accident in Kailua, Kona. He was 26. Agent Chad Speck said Mahelona died last night after being involved in an accident about a mile from his home in Kailua, Kona.

Speck, who spoke with Mahelona's father this morning, said he didn't know any more circumstances of the accident.

"Jesse was a wonderful guy who always had a smile on his face," said Speck. "He just loved life. He was always laughing and joking, and I can't remember every being around him when he wasn't happy."

The Hawaii County Fire Department reported a single-car crash involving one fatality that occurred just before 1 a.m. this morning on Kealakehe Parkway, about 200 yards mauka of Highway 19. The vehicle apparently struck a cement barrier and large heavy construction equipment, the report said. The cause of the crash is unknown.

Mahelona was drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Titans, where he played defensive tackle in 10 games as a rookie. He also spent time with the Miami Dolphins before playing his last NFL game with the Atlanta Falcons in 2007.

He is survived by his wife, Brandee Kukita-Mahelona, who is pregnant with the couple's second child.

In two seasons at the University of Tennessee, he had 77 tackles and seven sacks. He once led the Southeastern Conference in tackles-for-loss.