Rhamondre Stevenson‘s resurgence has come at the perfect time for New England, but the Patriots running back didn’t come rushing into this season with the momentum he has now. The 27-year-old was dealing with heavy heartache.
Stevenson’s father died suddenly last March at age 54.
“I lost a good amount of people in my life unfortunately, but this one hits a little different. It’s my dad, my best friend,” Stevenson shared of the loss. “I just learned you have to take it day by day. Every day is going to be different. You’re going to have good days, bad days. Just for me personally, knowing he’s with me, looking down and ultimately proud of me. I could live with that.”
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel had only been on the job two months when Stevenson’s dad died.
“That was the first thing, is just trying to support him from afar without really knowing him. There were days where he wouldn’t communicate, and there were days that he would, and we tried to just keep reaching out to him and support him,” Vrabel explained.
Stevenson’s teammates stuck by his side through it all.
“We’re still men. We’re still people that go through things that we have to deal with a lot. And sometimes it can be hard to put those things to the side. I think that’s the beauty of a locker room, too. You’ve got brothers beside you that you can go through things together,” Hunter Henry said.
Stevenson also formed a bond with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“I have a great deal of respect and admiration for him,” McDaniels said. “He’s a great example for any young player. I hope they’re paying attention because it’s hard to go through a season in the national football league and not deal with some adversity on or off the field.“
“I can’t thank him enough. Josh, I’ve known him for a few years now. Great to be back with him,” Stevenson said. “Just on a personal level, I love that guy.”
Stevenson is loving his team and his late father, who he’d leave this message for if he were watching his son in the divisional playoff game at Gillette Stadium today: “That I love him. Nothing more, nothing less. And I appreciate him.”
