Patriots Alum RB Mosi Tatupu dead at 54

I'm heartbroken, almost sick to my stomach.  How can Mosi be dead?  It just doesn't seem real to me.  Mosi Tatupu was a running back for the Patriots from 1978 - 1990.  He had a brief stint with the Rams in 1991before retiring from football.  A perennial favorite at the time, "Mosi's Mooses" were present at every home game in "Mosi's Endzone".  I attended many a home game sitting in that endzone, in the rain and cold, just to cheer Mosi on.  He appreciated it:

"They are great fans, but just to have your own section is an honor," Tatupu said in a 2004 interview with the Globe. "It inspired me to play harder because they were cheering for me and backing me up."

Mosi never could stay away from the game, coaching high school ball at King Philip High in Wrentham, MA and coaching running backs at Curry College in Milton, MA.  His son Lofa Tatupu, a middle linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, had the privilege of being coached by his dad.

I grew up watching Mosi.  He was such a great Patriot.  Let us hope that his untimely death at 54 focuses more attention on the toll this game takes on these human beings.  So sad.