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Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota cites ‘aloha spirit’ playing on the football field

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota throws during an organized team activity at the Titans’ NFL football training facility in Nashville, Tenn., in May.

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Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) swats quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) during a drill at an organized team activity at the Titans’ NFL football training facility in Nashville, Tenn., in May.

During a visit to Hawaii this month, Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota cited the aloha spirit mindset when interacting with his teammates on the football field.

“When it comes down to it, you win a bunch of games or maybe things don’t go the way that you plan — those relationships that you build with the guys around you last a lifetime,” Mariota said in a video interview posted July 18 on YouTube. “To me, that’s meaningful.”

Mariota, who became the University of Oregon Ducks’ first Heisman Trophy winner, paid tribute to his cultural roots in an emotional speech in 2014.

Mariota reflected on his background as half Polynesian and half Samoan.

“You hold everybody that’s Polynesian or Samoan on your shoulders,” Mariota, a Saint Louis School alum, said in the interview. “You want to do your best to represent that in the best way that you can.”

Mariota, 25, is determined to prove his credentials going into the final year of his rookie contract with the Titans.

During the interview, Mariota thanked his ohana and friends for supporting him throughout his football career.

“Whenever I get a chance to come home, it’s just nice to say ‘thank you’ and just to hang out and spend time with them,” Mariota said.

Watch the video below courtesy of the Tennessee Titans.

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