JUST HOURS AFTER PLAYING FOOTBALL, 16-YEAR-OLD DEEJAY TUIASOSOPO WAS KILLED IN A 𝔠r𝘢sh — HIS DREAMS AND PROMISING FUTURE CUT SHORT

He had just played the game he loved. Hours later, a teenage athlete with dreams of becoming a state champion was gone, leaving his family, teammates and community heartbroken.

Sixteen-year-old Deejay Tuiasosopo, a running back and linebacker for Federal Way High School in Washington, was killed Friday night after being struck by a vehicle in a 𝔠r𝘢sh involving an alleged impaired driver.

Deejay, who wore jersey No. 56, was in his first season with the team and expected to graduate in 2028. He was still at the beginning of his high school football journey, working toward a dream that his teammates knew meant so much to him.

According to reports, Deejay was standing on a sidewalk near an intersection where he had played football earlier that evening when a vehicle collided with another car and struck him.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide. Authorities allege that the driver was under the influence at the time of the 𝔠r𝘢sh. The investigation remains ongoing, and further details about the collision have not been publicly disclosed.

“IT JUST FEELS SAD”

For Deejay’s teammates and friends, the loss is difficult to comprehend.

They had seen a young athlete with goals, ambition and a future he was working hard to build. Now, those dreams have been interrupted in a tᩚraɢedy that has left the people who knew him struggling to accept what happened.

Teammate David Rodriguez spoke about the painful reality of losing someone who had so much ahead of him.

“The fact he can’t do that, that’s just, it just feels sad,” Rodriguez said.

His words capture the heartbreak of a life cut short before Deejay had the chance to see how far his hard work and determination might take him.

A FAMILY WITH DEEP ROOTS IN SPORTS

Deejay came from a family with a remarkable history in American sports, including professional football, college athletics and Major League Baseball.

His great-uncle, Manu Tuiasosopo, was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the 18th overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft. He later played for the San Francisco 49ers and was part of the team that won Super Bowl XIX in January 1985.

Manu’s son, Marques Tuiasosopo, became a standout quarterback at the University of Washington. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2001 Rose Bowl after leading the Huskies to victory and later played in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets.

Other relatives also built careers in sports. Zach Tuiasosopo spent time on NFL practice squads, Leslie Tuiasosopo became head coach of the University of Washington women’s volleyball team, and Matt Tuiasosopo played professional baseball in Major League Baseball.

For Deejay, football was part of a family legacy. But to the people closest to him, he was more than a name connected to a celebrated sporting family. He was a teenager with his own ambitions, his own personality and a future that had only just begun.

 FLOWERS, BALLOONS AND JERSEY NO. 56

On Saturday, friends, relatives and members of the community gathered for a vigil near the intersection where Deejay lost his life.

Flowers and balloons were left at the scene as loved ones came together to mourn the young athlete.

Among the tributes were displays featuring the numbers five and six — a heartbreaking reference to the No. 56 jersey he wore on the football field.

Two of Deejay’s uncles, speaking to KOMO, described being left numb by the tᩚraɢedy.

The gathering offered a place for people to grieve, remember Deejay and stand beside a family facing an unimaginable loss.

 A DREAM THAT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

Deejay was only 16. He had games still to play, goals still to chase and years ahead of him to discover what he could become.

His story is a devastating reminder of how quickly a life can change — and how one tragic moment can leave an entire community searching for words.

As his family, teammates and friends mourn, the flowers and the tributes to jersey No. 56 stand as a symbol of a young athlete whose life meant far more than the number on his back.

Rest in peace, Deejay Tuiasosopo. You were more than a football player, more than a jersey number, and more than a promising future. You were a son, a nephew, a teammate and a young man whose life mattered. You will not be forgotten. 🕊️💔