Background
Lutui was born in Haʻapai in the Pacific island nation of Tonga. When Lutui was a few months old, his father, Inoke Lutui, moved the family to the United States, settling in Mesa, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix.
Lutui was born in Haʻapai in the Pacific island nation of Tonga. When Lutui was a few months old, his father, Inoke Lutui, moved the family to the United States, settling in Mesa, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix.
Lutui attended Mesa High School, where he played two-way lineman for the school"s football team
He played college football for the University of Southern California ( University of Southern California), and received consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and also played for the NFL"s Tennessee Titans. One of several Tongans who have played in the NFL, he is a cousin of Vai Sikahema, the first Tongan ever to play in the NFL. One of six siblings, he is a younger cousin of Vai Sikahema, who became the first Tongan to play in the National Football League when he joined the Arizona Cardinals as a kick returner in 1986.
As a teenager, Lutui had to work to support his family.
In 2001, he was named Super Preparatory All-Farwest, Preparatory Star All-West, All-State, all-region and all-conference as a two-way lineman for Mesa High School. After high school Lutui signed with the University of Southern California to play for the University of Southern California Trojans football team
However, he failed to qualify for admission to the school. Instead, he spent a year at Mesa Community College, where he played for the school"s junior college football team
He then transferred to Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, where he received a number of junior college football honors.
By 2004, he had improved his grades enough to enroll at University of Southern California. Lutui was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and a consensus first-team All-American at guard for the Trojans in 2005. At 370 pounds, he was the heaviest University of Southern California Trojans player of all-time. Arizona Cardinals
Lutui was selected in the second round (41st overall) of the 2006 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals, where he is reunited with former University of Southern California teammate Matt Leinart.
As a rookie, Lutui started 9 games.
In 2007, he started 15 games. They then had a surprising playoff run getting to Super Bowl XLIII. During the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers"s offensive line featured Chris Kemoeatu, the other Tongan in the NFL. In 2009, he started 16 games as the Cardinals once again became NFC West champions with a 10-6 record.
The Cincinnati Bengals signed him to a two-year deal on July 29, 2011. On July 31, 2011, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic revealed that Lutui failed his physical with the Bengals, and had re-signed with the Arizona Cardinals for one year.
Seattle Seahawks
Lutui signed with the Seattle Seahawks on April 6, 2012.
Lutui was released by the Seahawks on August 26, 2012 at the end of training camp. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans signed Lutui to a one-year deal on September 10, 2012. He went on to start eight games at right guard.
In March 2013, he was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league"s policy on performance-enhancing substances.