The first person Troy Polamalu thanked by name during Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech on Saturday night was Kennedy Polamalu, the Vikings' running backs coach.
Troy Polamalu's Hall of Fame induction a special moment for Vikings assistant Kennedy Polamalu
Minnesota's running backs coach is the former Steelers safety's uncle, and he was on USC's coaching staff when Polamalu was in college.
August 10, 2021 at 11:49PM
"My uncle Kennedy instilled in me an authentic respect and passion for the game," the former Steelers safety said. "His intensity has inspired not just me, but countless athletes, to revere and love the game, at all costs. Uncle, you're a true coach, not just in sport, but in life."
The salutation came about three minutes into Troy Polamalu's speech. By that point, Kennedy Polamalu had been misty-eyed for about ... three minutes.
"Man, I couldn't stop crying," Kennedy Polamalu said Tuesday. "When he got on stage, I couldn't stop crying, he didn't have to say anything about me, it was just the moment. Not only for him, but for my family, my culture. Just wish that my mom and dad, my older brother Salu — who he lived with in Oregon — were around to see it."
The Polamalu family hails from American Samoa, where Kennedy was born. When they moved to California in the 1970s, they shortened their last name to Pola. Kennedy changed his last name back to Polamalu in 2011 before returning to his native country to help with Troy's football camp. When Troy talked early in his speech about "proudly representing my family's lineage" as a first generation American Samoan, TV cameras cut to Kennedy giving him a standing ovation.
"You know, it's a very poor country," Kennedy Polamalu said. "It's very family-oriented, the village pretty much. It's a Matai system. My dad was the Matai [or chief] and basically, you took care of the whole village. And that culture has continued all the way through our lives. The humility and the service, that's part of the culture. You take care of your family, you stay humble and you put your head down and go to work. You don't have to talk about it, you don't have to brag about it, you just do your job."
Kennedy Polamalu was at USC for three of his nephew's four years with the Trojans, and the two still talk football regularly. The fact he made it into Troy Polamalu's speech, though, was a surprise.
"I did not [know ahead of time]," Kennedy Polamalu said. "He's just, he's been that way his whole life. Very passionate, very determined, he was a very coachable kid when I had him at a young age. We talk ball all the time. It was a nice mention."
Jefferson still out
The Vikings shifted practice to a walk-through on Tuesday, before two days of joint practices with the Broncos, but wide receiver Justin Jefferson still wasn't able to participate.
Jefferson hasn't practiced since injuring his left shoulder on Friday, and he watched the walk-through from the field again Tuesday. Wide receiver Dede Westbrook, still recovering from last year's ACL surgery in Jacksonville, also remained out for the Vikings.
Mond back at practice
The Vikings activated rookie quarterback Kellen Mond from the COVID-19 reserve list on Tuesday and the third-round pick returned to practice after a 10-day absence.
Mond had been on the COVID list since testing positive for the virus July 31. Quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Nate Stanley were both placed on the COVID list as close contacts, while Jake Browning avoided the list after getting vaccinated against COVID this year.
Mond came back a day before the Vikings start two days of joint practices with the Broncos in advance of Saturday's preseason opener.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
