The Washington Commanders set out in the 2024 offseason looking for talent, sure, but more so, they wanted the right men.
Looking to build a brotherhood of players on the Commanders' roster, they knew there were values that couldn't be timed, measured, or analyzed on tape. They had to be experienced in real-time.
Frankie Luvu was one of the players Washington found, and his deep familial roots helped make him a perfect fit for the new culture being born in the DMV. Luvu recently gave NFL Films behind-the-scenes access to his life, that family, and more, in a feature that really gives a glimpse as to who he his as a player and a man.
Born and raised in American Samoa, Luvu didn't leave the island located in the South Pacific Ocean until he did so to attend and play collegiately at Washington State University. It was far from home, and a culture shock, but as he revealed in the feature, it was an experience that his familial ties helped him adapt to and eventually thrive in.
"Family is big in our culture. That's something that we preach and both of my parents instilled in me since we were kids," Luvu shared in the feature.
As the youngest of eight, Luvu always had family around, so when he went to Washington State, he looked for those who understood through their own experiences. What he found was numerous teammates and coach Joe Salave'a, a former NFL defensive lineman who recruited Luvu to the Cougars' program.
"Coach Joe was a huge part of why I went there," Luvu says. "We didn't have enough stipend money to go home to Samoa, and so when guys would leave in the summer workout or leave in spring break, we would go to Coach Joe. He just kept that family and spirit around us."
While the coach was responsible for recruiting several players from what was dubbed his 'Polynesian Pipeline', he also took it upon himself to ensure they had the support structure around them needed to succeed in an environment that, in many ways, is a culture shock for those leaving the island for the first time.
That framework began before they ever left, with the coach advising his players, "You've got to start preparing now mentally, emotionally, spiritually, you're going to be representing an extension of a group of people that you've never met that share the same bloodline and your culture...I knew, just from my journey, what they are going to be faced (with) and the one thing that they had amongst themselves, just the brotherhood."
Brotherhood. It has become a rallying cry for the current-day Commanders. A spirit of how they do what they do, with Luvu as one of many in the locker room who help to embody it. There isn't a week that goes by that it seems the team's in-house media doesn't share a clip or quote from or about Luvu and his motivational abilities.
Typically, it's something he's sharing from his culture that is being elevated to inspire his new brothers. If it wasn't for his own brother, Frazier, Luvu may not have lasted in the NFL long enough to have such an impact on Washington football today.
"He was somebody I looked up to. We were real close. I could call him and talk to him about football, talk to him about business, talk about, just anything," Luvu says of his brother, who sadly passed away in 2021 at the age of 34.
"At first I was like, 'this ain't true. I don't know what you're talking about,'" Luvu recalls upon receiving the news. "I just didn't know why."
In the feature, Luvu and his family share their experience of grief and efforts to celebrate the life of their loved one, even while grieving their collective loss. One of the core memories the Commanders' linebacker shares is of the day his elder brother saved his NFL career.
"Halfway through my second (NFL) year, I was like, 'Man, I'm done,'" Luvu shares. "Frazier, he's the one that kind of just gets me on the straight and narrow and just be like, 'Man, you're here for a reason. You're getting tested right now through your faith in your darkest moments.' He pushed me through that, and I found a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm grateful for that."
That light, it turned out, was blue. It was Frazier's favorite color, the color he wore at his funeral, and the color Luvu remembers seeing all around him when, as a free agent, the Carolina Panthers came calling.
After spending one positive season with the New York Jets after college, and two not-so-fun, Luvu knew instantly the Panthers were where he was meant to go and he signed on ahead of the 2021 NFL season.
Luvu started just four games in his first three seasons as a pro, and he started four in his first year with Carolina alone. Then, he started 14 and 17 in the two years prior, establishing himself as an NFL starter, a difference maker, and attracting Washington to him when he got his second chance to be a coveted free agent, in 2024.
In his lone season with the Commanders, Luvu took another step, becoming a Second-Team All-Pro for the first time in his career and racking up a career-high eight sacks in the season. He quickly became one of the leaders in the locker room and a fan favorite.
He also became an American citizen and is in the process of helping his parents obtain the same status for themselves.
NFL Films tends to do right by players when sharing their stories, and this feature is no different. To see the stories shared here, and even more, check out Frankie Luvu's Journey: From American Somoa to NFL Stardom, on YouTube.
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