‘It’s been so rewarding’: Raiders safety talks fatherhood in Q&A

Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao has had a life-changing last 12 months.

He was given a chance to start last season after Marcus Epps was injured. Pola-Mao, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent out of USC in 2022, played so well the Raiders inked him to a two-year, $8.45 million contract extension.

More importantly, his wife Janina gave birth to their son Easton Anthony in October. Pola-Mao, as his son’s first birthday approaches, sat down with the Review-Journal to discuss balancing football with fatherhood:

RJ: As a first-time father, what has been the biggest change to your life over the last year?

Pola-Mao: The free time that I thought I would have. When you come home from a game or practice or whatever, it’s no longer there. You’ve got to sacrifice that time. I was sitting down yesterday in recovery and I was on my phone, and my wife’s like, ‘You know, you’re on your phone. Like, spend some time with your son. Like, look at him.’ And I look up, my son’s just looking at me like this and I’m like, ‘(Dang), you’re right,’ you know? So it’s like, you’ve gotta sacrifice your time.

RJ: So what kind of milestones have there been so far?

Pola-Mao: He’s very close to walking. I’d say it’s any day now. But if you hold his hands, he’s walking around and stuff. My wife does a great job of making sure he hits all the key milestones. He’s playing with his hands, he’s pinching and stuff like that, so he’s doing really good.

RJ: I’d imagine modern technology has been helpful, given your schedule, because your wife can text you updates?

Pola-Mao: No doubt. And I mean, my wife’s very quick with it. She’s filming everything. So I get a video (dang) near every day showing me stuff and updating me. He’s saying, ‘Dada,’ or little things like that. So I mean, it’s cool. It always brightens my day.

RJ: At some point, he’s going to figure out what dad does. What’s that conversation going to be like?

Pola-Mao: I honestly don’t know. I haven’t really thought about whether I want my son to be deep into football. I just want his mindset to be open and broadened, and not just solely focused on being an athlete.

RJ: How much of an appreciation do you have for your wife?

Pola-Mao: I mean, it’s everything. She’s practically raising him by herself because of my schedule. She’s a very strong woman, and I think it’s very important. … She’s doing a great job.

RJ: As far as him playing football, are you leaning toward yes or no? And what would be the reasoning for you?

Pola-Mao: If he wants to play football, I think he’ll start off in flag football. I just don’t think it’s mandatory that you need to hit somebody at that young age. They don’t even know what they’re doing. They’re just going to lead headfirst. So I think I would want him to play flag just for the safety of it right now.

RJ: Every new dad gets advice, whether it’s from your own dad, an uncle or an older friend. What’s that been like for you?

Pola-Mao: For sure. And I kind of take everything with a grain of salt and kind of just figure it out for myself. Everybody’s like, ‘Man, just take your time.’ I’ve definitely gotten in those conversations. Or, ‘Oh man, you’re going to love it. It’s the greatest thing in the world.’ I’ve had those conversations, too. For me, I’m on the side of it’s the greatest thing in the world.

RJ: Is it everything you thought it would be?

Pola-Mao: Absolutely. And I was really looking forward to being a father. But it’s been so rewarding. You get to come home, and no matter what you went through throughout the day, good or bad, you go home, you see your son, you see your family and it’s always a great feeling.

RJ: Given the pressures of your job, it has to be refreshing now to have something that takes your mind off things.

Pola-Mao: Exactly. In the past, after a loss, I’d go home, and it would just kind of be myself. Like, I’d be down in the dumps almost. A loss always hurts, you know what I’m saying? But nowadays, it’s like, it still hurts, but then it’s like, you know what? I’m all right. There are a lot more bigger things than just football.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.