HERRIMAN — When Paul Lasike was released from the Chicago Bears 18 months ago, he assumed his days as a professional athlete were over.
“I was walking around at 270-275 (at 5-foot-11) around this time last year,” the former BYU fullback said laughing. “I realized fairly quickly that I was done with football after they released me. And then Kimball (Kjar) called me.”
In fact, Kjar, who coached Lasike when he played rugby for BYU from 2009-2014, was hoping he would return to the sport that brought him to Utah, and help him build the first U.S. professional rugby league — Major League Rugby — by joining the Utah Warriors.
“He was monitoring my situation in the NFL pretty closely for quite a while,” Lasike said. “For the last year, he was saying, ‘If it doesn’t work out, we’d love to have you play for us.’ So when they released me, Kimball called me right away.”
Lasike said he didn’t think he could play because, as a citizen of New Zealand, he was trying to work out his U.S. visa after being released by the Bears.
“There is a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff to consider, so I actually told him no,” said Lasike, whose wife, Ani, is from Brazil. “I told him I didn’t think it could happen, but then he said he might be able to help. That’s what actually led me to commit, because otherwise, we were going to move back to New Zealand.”
He called the offer from the first-year league “a blessing in disguise,” and his return to rugby didn’t just bolster the Warriors or the first-year league; it benefitted USA Rugby, as Lasike is also a member of the U.S. rugby team.
“I really enjoy it,” he said of playing with the U.S. team. “It’s really an awesome opportunity. The level of competition is obviously much higher than MLR.”
Lasike is a rare athlete in that he’s played at the highest level in two very different and difficult sports. There are NFL players who have some rugby experience, and rugby players with college football experience. But Lasike’s athleticism and versatility have allowed him to have a very unique athletic experience.
Lasike grew up in Auckland playing rugby, but he came to Utah in high school to play for the Highland rugby program. He was almost immediately recruited to play rugby for BYU, which he embraced.
“Right after the island experience, I went to BYU,” he said of enrolling in 2009. As a student, he became enamored with American football, and in 2012, he decided he wanted to give the sport a try.
“I just kind of wanted to see what it was like, out of curiosity,” he said. “I wanted to know what it was like to play American football. It took me a while to get into it, definitely.”
Coach Bronco Mendenhall welcomed him, but Lasike just played on the practice squad his first year, saying the physical nature of both games is about the only thing they have in common.
“It wasn’t a smooth ride at all,” he said laughing. “It’s kind of weird. There were so many times where I wanted to say, ‘Hey, this isn’t worth it. I don’t enjoy this.’ ”
Lasike struggled to learn the multitude of plays, as well as the technique needed to succeed at fullback and running back.
“There were a lot of stressful times and contemplation,” he said. “Just like you deal with anything, you just have to kind of weather the storm. There were a lot of times I just wanted to quit. My wife was part of why I stuck it out, and really, I’m just not a quitter. I would rather get released or dropped from the team than give up on it. But it was a frustrating and bumpy ride, but the competitive drive in me made me stick with it.”
Lasike said he was fortunate in that BYU coaches allowed him to "stick it out" and offered him support and help.
“I remember getting some incentive as a freshman,” he said. “I wasn’t playing my first year, but then, toward the middle of the season, they put me in on one special teams play.”
Mendenhall told him it was “the easiest position to learn,” he said, the laughter returning. The fact that Lasike “didn’t have to think much" about how the play might unfold was a gift that carried him through other frustrating days.
“He told me you’re just running down and getting the ball carrier,” he said. “I had so much excitement, getting to hear those words, and it was those little glimpses of, ‘Oh, I might be able to do this.’ That really helped me. And then being out there, I remember thinking, ‘This is crazy. Wow.’ And then just running into someone.”
Before Lasike found his footing in football, he was able to experience the highlight of his time at BYU. In his freshman year the BYU rugby team claimed its first national championship with a win over Cal Berkeley.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” he said. “It was definitely my favorite moment.”
But as Lasike learned the game of football, he was able to actually get time at fullback, eventually earning a scholarship.
In 2015, he signed a free-agent contract, first with the Arizona Cardinals and then with the Bears. He spent time on the practice squad before making their active roster in 2015.
Utah Warriors coach Alf Daniels said Lasike’s time in the NFL gives him an edge, but maybe not for the reasons one might assume.
“It’s probably a little bit of mental toughness, but with somebody like Paul, there is a better understanding about the professionalism of sport, more than technical skills that win games. It makes a player a little bit more special.” Both Daniels and Lasike said the physical demands of football and rugby are similar, but the biggest advantage comes in understanding what it takes to succeed as a professional athlete.
“The physicality probably gives him an edge, but really it’s the mental toughness and discipline to look after themselves, follow a structure, game plans, training, those types of things,” Daniels said. “That’s the kind of edge those type of guys bring.”
Lasike, who is a backline center for the Warriors and the U.S. team, is a captain for Utah, something he earned more through his actions than his inspirational speeches.
“Paul is quite unique as a leader,” Daniels said. “He probably doesn’t talk or say as much as a lot of leaders do, but he’s an exemplary leader. The boys watch him and they see him, and he’s always an example of what needs to happen. When the time is right, he’ll say the right things. He always brings encouragement. He may be a quiet person, but he knows how to turn on that switch, and the rest of the boys like to follow him.”
Lasike’s athleticism is evident in the fact that he’s a member of the U.S. national team, but Daniels said he does much more than stats can measure.
“Literally, I don’t think there is anybody in the MLR better than him at his position,” Daniels said. “He’s big, but he’s also explosive and dynamic in the way he’s able to move that big frame of his and create havoc for the opposition.”
Lasike acknowledges that he learned a lot about what it takes to succeed in professional sports from his time in the NFL, and he said there are other ways football makes him a better rugby player — and teammate.
“They complement each other in that mental toughness aspect,” he said. “You have to work through adversity, work as a team, and then there is the physicality.”
Lasike, who met his wife at an LDS activity in California after serving a mission to Alabama, has two small children, and he said he loves the opportunity to play professional sports in Utah. His hope is that while he battles Russia, Scotland and Canada with the U.S. rugby team (Eagles), the Warriors will find a way to win their last home game and earn a spot on the MLR playoffs.
While Lasike helped the Eagles to a 30-29 win over Scotland, the Warriors lost a heartbreaker to New Orleans (46-43) last Saturday, making the regular-season finale this Saturday even more important.
“I am messaging the guys, seeing how it is going,” he said. “I’m confident the boys will get it together. … This is our first year down this road, and the first time in professional sports for some of the boys. I’m confident we will get more competitive, more professional as we go. I’m really enjoying that part of it.”