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PROVO — Neil Pau’u was excited for Monday.
Stoked. Emboldened. Fresh and ready for another season of football.
It didn’t matter that it was only the first day of spring football, or fake football, or a whole bunch of practices without a shot at a game.
For Pau’u, the redshirt junior BYU receiver who missed all of last season with a yearlong suspension following amended charges of impaired driving in an on-campus incident, Monday was a big day.
Then, around 11 a.m., he got some bad news: he couldn’t play. His paperwork hadn’t been filed, insurance had yet to be claimed, and his first day back would come later. He was disappointed. Gutted, really.
But he came anyway, walked the sidelined, watched practice — without even so much as being able to lift weights or run sprints — simply because he wanted to be with his family.
It’s been a long year, a lot of life lessons learned, and a series of tumultuous events when he relied on his friends, family, head coach Kalani Sitake and teammates to get back.
He wasn’t going to miss another day — even if he couldn’t practice.
“You definitely learn a lot about yourself, about the strength of your family, friends, and I want to thank everyone along the process from when it happened in June until now,” Pau’u told reporters after BYU wrapped up the first day of spring football Monday evening in Provo’s indoor practice facility. “From my flag football team to the basketball guys that I played with Mondays and Thursdays to my parents, to my siblings, I want to thank everyone just for sticking with me and telling me just to continue to press forward.
“It’s been good and I’m glad to be back.”
Pau’u’s insurance will eventually come in. His status with the team is indefinite, sure, but he’s not gone. He’s with the team. He’ll be able to practice soon.
“I’m really proud of him,” Sitake said. “He’s done some really good things. There’s still some work to go, but athletically, he wants to accomplish different things.
“But I’m really proud of the things he’s done this past year, and really excited that he can get back on the field and play and contribute to this year — a lot like he’s been doing in society the last year.”
For now, it’s just good to be back.
“Sooner than later, time heals all wounds,” Pau’u said. “Time made me able to come to where I’m at now. I’m just happy to be back.”
Equally patient, his teammates welcomed him back with open arms — even before the first day of spring football. BYU quarterback Zach Wilson met Pau’u to throw a few passes after the Cougars’ Christmas Eve loss in the Hawaii Bowl.
He wanted to get Pau’u up to speed. He wanted to help him hit the ground running in March and April. But mostly, he just wanted to see him again, to play a little football.
DAY ONE ✔️ pic.twitter.com/W2szHRzdnc
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) March 3, 2020
“It’s so good to have him out there,” Wilson said. “I can tell he’s just excited to get back into it.
“He took his break really seriously, he learned a lot, and I know he’s going to come back and have a great year.”
Pau’u’s older brother Butch, a former BYU linebacker who is now an assistant coach at Snow College, told him to stay. Sitake wanted him to stay. He got a job with First Colony Mortgage in Utah County, and caught up on classwork, so much that he’s hopeful to graduate in December with a degree in exercise and wellness, with a business minor.
His teammates, more than anything, wanted him.
“You learn what’s the next step,” Pau’u said. “A lot of people don’t know what to do outside of football and their next steps. Hopefully I was able to figure out some of that stuff.
“You learn a lot about yourself, and get thankful for a lot of things that the Lord blessed you with — things that you took for granted.”
Pau’u came back at a good time, too. The Cougars lost significant production at wide receiver from last year, and his size, length and experience will be critical in helping them replace that.
What he can do is obvious.
“Obviously he’s got some experience,” said offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, who opened practice with a shoulder sling from offseason surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. “But he’s a big body, a great athlete, he runs well and he catches the ball well. I think he’ll certainly be one of our contributing receivers.”
In addition to all that — friends, family, schoolwork and employment — Pau’u also learned about the legal system. He learned how to handle adversity.
He learned bad things happen, not just to him, and it’s better to work through it than complain about things you can’t control.
It’s a lesson that is already proving him well, as he helps friends who have also made mistakes to bear their challenges. That includes Chaz Ah You, the former Westlake and Timpview High quarterback who has been a star in the defensive backfield and at linebacker for BYU — but who was cited with a DUI, among other charges, a month ago.
“We love Chaz,” Sitake said. “He’s part of the team, he’s here, but he’s not going to be participating in spring. He’s got to go through a process.
“That’s the most I can say right now at this point. It would be inappropriate for me to say more. But we love him, and we’re supporting him the best we can.”
Having people like Pau’u around to welcome Ah You back, to put their arms around him, to love him — that’s why the redshirt junior wide receiver’s return was such a blessing, too.
“Chaz wasn’t the first person to hit me up who that happened to. There are friends from back home and friends I’ve made out here that hit me up about their own situations with DUIs. It’s been cool to be able to relate about the process, but also the learning pains that grow with it,” Pau’u said. “If they’re serious about overcoming that, then it’s been super cool to find people who have been able to overcome and grow, as well.”
