Healthy attitude — Kaufusi happy despite career-ending injury

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Nov 24, 2005 | by Dirk Facer Deseret Morning News

Jason Kaufusi is thankful he can still hug his wife and lift his children.

Though an unstable shoulder kept the former East High and University of Utah football star from playing in the National Football League, the 26-year-old is finding life outside of the game rewarding.

"Everybody has a different definition of wealth, a different definition of success," Kaufusi said. "To me, success is trying to help somebody out. That's success to me. Wealth? Having my wife and two kids being healthy. That's wealth to me."

While many of his former teammates -- including childhood friend Sione Pouha -- have gone on to receive monetary riches associated with the NFL, Kaufusi makes ends meet in a variety of ways.

His greatest passion is a business he owns and operates that places kids from juvenile detention centers into foster care. On the side, Kaufusi helps coach football at Cottonwood High and works at the airport as a ramp attendant. He and wife, Tenille, also manage an apartment building near the U. campus.

The latter is where Jason, Tenille, 3-year-old Taliana and 2- year-old Ammon reside.

"It's almost a sanctuary that I can find peace and comfort when I come back home and play with my kids," Kaufusi said. "It doesn't matter if I have a good or bad day. It's a totally different story or ball game. It's like that everyday.

"I'm grateful for my wife because she puts up with me. She does a wonderful job staying home with the kids," he added. "When I come home and I'm playing with my kids, I'll just say 'Wow, what more could I ask for in life?' "

It wasn't always that way, however.

When it became apparent that Kaufusi's football career would come to a premature end because his unstable shoulder failed to respond to surgery and exhaustive rehabilitation, there were some dark days.

"It hit me like a ton of bricks just fell on top of me," said Kaufusi, who admitted he was "big-time depressed."

His final game was Utah's win over BYU in 2002. It capped a second consecutive first-team all-Mountain West Conference campaign for the junior defensive end.

"Jason was an extremely talented player, one of the more talented kids I've ever coached -- very smart on and off the field. Unfortunately he had injuries," Utah assistant coach Gary Andersen said. "It got to the point in his career where he decided it was best for him to be able to do what he's doing right now -- just take care of business and get his family raised."

Kaufusi had hoped to play for new coach Urban Meyer in 2003, but his shoulder never cooperated. Doctors told Kaufusi he was at great risk for additional injury -- severe enough to prevent him from ever hugging his wife or lifting his kids again.

"Jason Kaufusi is why you coach football. He's just a hard- working, focused, dedicated athlete who cares tremendously about what he does. It was a pleasure having him on our team," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We wish we could have gotten that last year out of him, but an unfortunate thing with his shoulder prevented that. There's no question in my mind he would have a great career beyond college had he not had the shoulder problem."

The NFL, in fact, continued to list Kaufusi as a draft prospect as late as this year. A compliment, he noted, and something he may share with his kids sometime down the road.

As for now, it's also a reminder of what could have been.

"When all of a sudden all your hopes and dreams get taken away from you, you hit a wall and you're like 'What am I going to do now?' " said Kaufusi, who hoped an NFL career would help him provide for his wife and kids financially. "The money would have been good, but at the same time you sit back and realize that instead of asking why, you ask what can I learn from the situation."

Taking accountability and responsibility, Kaufusi noted, helped him move forward. After extensive rehab yielded little progress, Kaufusi decided to give up his comeback quest late in the 2003 season.

"It was pretty depressing. It was hard, but you just kind of trudge through it," Tenille Kaufusi said. "I'm happy that his shoulder is feeling better. He's not in as much pain anymore. He can play with his kids as much as he wants."

Football became painful for Kaufusi. He used to receive anti- inflammatory shots before each game and at halftime. Before heading home, he'd receive medicine to sleep at night. Sometimes, when the pain was great, Kaufusi would sit in a cold bath to ease the pain. The next morning he'd be back in the training room.

Countless hours, he said, would be spent in the doctor's office or rehab center.

"A lot of people don't realize what happens behind the scenes," said Kaufusi, who admitted his competitive drive kept him going. Guilt trips by coaches, who insisted he was letting the team down by not returning to the field, eventually fell upon deaf ears. Kaufusi came to realize there was more to life than football.

While sitting in a hospital bed after a fourth or fifth procedure on his shoulder, Kaufusi began to question whether it was really worth enduring the hardships and being away from home.