The New York Giants and New York Jets close the preseason Friday at MetLife Stadium with an unusual family subplot. Starting rookie guard Francis Mauigoa and Jets second-year linebacker Kiko Mauigoa will oppose each other for the first time.
Born in American Samoa and teammates at Miami after high school stops in California and Florida, the brothers have never faced one another in a game. They occasionally collided in college practices, but those moments were rare and rarely one-on-one.
“Either the older brother is going to tell me he is still the older brother or I’m going to tell him that I’m no longer the younger brother,” Sisi told Tom Rock of Newsday. “It’s one of those moments.”
Sisi, who is dealing with a stinger, is expected to play limited
snaps with the starters after being pulled early in his first two preseason appearances. Kiko works primarily behind Demario Davis but has seen significant first-team time this summer, raising the possibility of a direct matchup now that Sisi has moved inside to guard.
Neither intends to hold back.
“Oh, hell no!” Sisi said of the idea of easing up. “It’ll be a little more! Obviously I always give 100 percent, but when I see him, it’s going to be 110 percent.”
Kiko said he will give everything he has and put hands on his brother if the opportunity arises, then return to being brothers once the game ends.
“He’s a good player, but I am going to give him everything I got. If I get an opportunity to put hands on him, I’m going to put some hands on him," Kiko said. "And then after the game we’ll be back to being brothers. That’s how we’re going to go at it. We’re just going to be us and do what we did when we were little.”
The pair recently returned to American Samoa together as NFL players and earlier attended a Mets game, chatting with fellow Samoan pitcher Sean Manaea. Their parents will be in the stands Friday and now view MetLife as a shared home stadium for both sons.
Years after Rex Ryan framed these games as a sibling rivalry, the analogy finally has real brothers ready to test it.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Mauigoa brothers set for first clash in Giants-Jets preseason finale
