Pio Alika Sagapolutele (November 28, 1969 – June 7, 2009) was an American football

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

who played seven seasons in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns, the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, and the New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the Browns in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He started in

Super Bowl XXXI Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champio ...

for the

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at San Diego State University. He was born in American Samoa and died of an aneurysm on June 7, 2009, in Chandler, Arizona, where he lived. Following his death his wife sued the National Football League and football helmet maker Riddell Inc. alleging that his death was caused by brain injuries.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagapolutele, Pio 1969 births 2009 deaths American football defensive linemen American sportspeople of Samoan descent San Diego State Aztecs football players Cleveland Browns players New England Patriots players New Orleans Saints players Deaths from aneurysm Sportspeople from Chandler, Arizona Players of American football from American Samoa