Gabe Sewell grew up in American Samoa, his father a coach, his future no doubt circling football.
So, what did Sewell’s dad, Gabriel, do? He lined his undersized son up against the biggest boys on the block.
“When I was in the seventh grade he was making me go against seniors,” Sewell said. “I swear one of them didn’t have birth certificate and he had two kids already. He was an old man. Whenever I got whacked, my dad would laugh at me. I figured I had to buckle up. There was no hiding. It toughened me up a little bit.