Esera Tuaolo made a surprising comeback this week, returning to the national stage for a blind audition on the hit television series “The Voice.”

The former NFL player turned heads with a singing of “Rise Up.”

“I played nine years in the NFL,” Tuaolo told the judges. “You are coached to take certain breaths and then you come here and take deep breaths.”

“So what you saying is singing is actually kind of tough,” said Adam Levine, one of four judges on season 13.

“Oh it is,” responded Tuaolo.

“So you can tell all your football players, ‘yo singers are badass,’” Levine said.

Tuaolo, 49, came out as gay after retiring from the NFL. Born in Hawaii, the 300-pound defensive lineman played his college ball at Oregon State University and now calls Minnesota home. Tuaolo played for five NFL franchises, reaching the Super Bowl as a member of the 1998 Atlanta Falcons.

In 2006, Tuaolo published an autobiography, “Alone in the Trenches: My Life As a Gay Man in the NFL.” Since retiring, Tuaolo has sung the National Anthem at major sporting events.

Blind auditions of “The Voice” airs Monday and Tuesday evening on NBC.

Watch Tuaolo's clip below.