2024 NCAA Inspiration Award: Esera Tuaolo

For former Oregon State football player Esera Tuaolo, the football field was his safe space.

Growing up in poverty on a banana farm in Waimanalo, Hawaii, Tuaolo found he could unleash internal pain and fear on the football field. A star defensive tackle at Oregon State, Tuaolo was awarded the 1989 Morris Trophy as the best defensive lineman in the then-Pac-10 Conference and was honored as a finalist for the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy. After his college career, Tuaolo went on to the NFL as the 35th pick in the 1991 draft and played professionally for nine years with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. 

"Football gave me a way out," Tuaolo said. "It gave me a way to not have to keep everything in. I didn't have to keep all the pain or hurt in, and I could do it with the protection of pads."

On-field success came with more exposure. Hiding behind the curtain of his accomplishments, Tuaolo had a secret: He was gay. 

"I was scared that somebody would find out that I was gay with all that attention. I had to find a balance within myself where I didn't want too much attention, or I couldn't do too much on the field because I didn't want all that attention," he said. "You love the sport because it's giving you an out, but then again, getting all the attention is also hurting you because you're putting yourself further and further into the closet because you don't want people to find out that you're gay." 

Coping with mental health issues, loneliness and anxiety, Tuaolo was tired of hiding his true self. After retiring from the NFL, he made the decision to come out on HBO's "Real Sports" program in 2002. Tuaolo found he had a passion for educating people on LGBTQ+ issues and acting as an advocate for others going through similar struggles.

"I decided I was going to do it — I was going to become an advocate," he said. "All the things that I've learned in my life, the hardships that I went through — I was going to transform that into positive energy and give it out into the world to try to educate people." 

Tuaolo will be honored with a 2024 NCAA Inspiration Award on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the NCAA Convention Welcome and Awards Presentation in Phoenix. The award is presented to a coach or administrator currently associated with intercollegiate athletics or to a current or former varsity letter winner at an NCAA school. It honors those who used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome a life-altering situation and become role models, giving hope and inspiration to others.

As a prominent advocate for members of the LGBTQ+ community, Tuaolo has continued to educate others at colleges and corporations around the country about explicit and implicit homophobia. He founded Hate is Wrong, a nonprofit with a mission to foster diversity in sports and combat bullying among youth. He also hosted the first Super Bowl Inclusion Party to bring the football and LGBTQ+ communities closer together while raising funds for groups that promote diversity and fight bullying. 

"That's what's great about my position now is that I can touch both worlds," he said. "People love me because I play football or because I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community.  To bridge the gap between both communities is the key to help people understand that we're all the same." 

In addition to using his platform as an athlete and LGBTQ+ proponent, Tuaolo realized he can reach a wider audience as an artist. He has been singing since age 5 and has used his voice to sing the national anthem at NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA games and to appear on "The Voice."

Through it all, Tuaolo hopes others will support and create space for individuals in the LGBTQ+ community in collegiate athletics and beyond. 

"We love the same. We get up every single morning, and we look ourselves in the mirror," he said. "We want the same things. We want success. We want love. Once people understand that, I think this world will be a better place."