Penei Sewell grew up in American Samoa, a long way—both physically and culturally—from Detroit.
But just before he walked into the media room Monday, days after signing a contract that made him the highest-paid offensive tackle in football, Detroit Lions general manager wanted to make sure he had a touch of home. He greeted Sewell with a pair of leis that the right tackle would wear to the podium.
“And that right there goes a long way to me,” Sewell said. “Just those little gestures of him trying to understand where I’m from and understand the culture and he knows how much this meant to me.