#HawaiiFB

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – After a six hour flight from Honolulu to Denver, the University of Hawai'I football team made a short drive to Craig Hospital for an emotional visit with teammate, who is undergoing spinal cord rehabilitation.Nearly 90 players, coaches, and support staff greeted Naotala and his family with hugs and handshakes. The group shared stories and laughs with the defensive lineman, who in his short time in Manoa, made an immediate impact on the Rainbow Warriors."It felt good to be surrounded by them again," Naotala said. "Ever since I met most of them in January, they've been my family so it was good to be with them again. Family is a huge part of our team especially. Whether it be beach barbeques that we go out together or just hanging out in the locker room playing cards, I think it's a huge part of our team chemistry."Naotala, a freshman from Virginia who grey-shirted in 2016, suffered a serious spinal cord injury on July 1, 2017 while diving with friends near Waikiki in Honolulu. He was rescued from the water, and received treatment at The Queen's Medical Center before being transferred to Craig Hospital.Naotala participated in the team's spring practices and was expected to compete for playing time this season."Kalepo was with us for 6 to 8 months and he impacted our program greatly," head coachsaid. "As you can see from our guys, for a lot of them it was the first chance they got to see him since the hospital so its meaningful, its important. I think its great for Kalepo knowing he's still apart of our team."The team sported beenies with Naotala's jersey number 75 and the slogan "Back and Better," a phrase that he uttered to Rolovich days after his accident."This is a guy who joined midyear, didn't join in the traditional class, spent spring ball with us and makes this kind of impact," Rolovich said. "He was all about our philosophy of living aloha and playing warrior when its time to play football. I think that's why you see how important he is to these guys."The Rainbow Warriors were en route to Cheyenne, Wyo., where they will spend the next two days before Saturday's Mountain West opener versus Wyoming. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 at 8:15 p.m. MT (4:15 p.m. HT).