How Grief, Grit, and a Coach’s Presence Helped Rhamondre Stevenson Power the Patriots' Season
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The 2025 Patriots season didn’t start with a playbook or a practice rep. For Rhamondre Stevenson, it started with a phone call-and a loss that changed everything.
Back in March, Tony Dews, fresh off being hired as New England’s new running backs coach, was doing what good coaches do in the offseason: checking in. He dialed up Stevenson for a routine chat, just to start building that all-important trust.
On the other end of the line, Stevenson was home in Las Vegas, spending time with his father, Robert. They were watching MMA fights.
Robert was cooking. It was a normal afternoon-until it became one of the last Stevenson would ever share with his dad.
Two weeks later, Robert Stevenson passed away at just 54 years old.
At that point, Dews had barely gotten to know his starting back-two brief in-person meetings and that single phone call. But when the news hit, a simple text wouldn’t cut it.
After hearing from the team’s PR staff, Dews and head coach Mike Vrabel sat down to figure out how to support their player. Dews floated the idea of flying out to Vegas.
Vrabel told him to wait-let the family grieve first.
When the timing was right, Dews made the trip, not just to pay respects but to be present. He attended the repast, the post-funeral gathering, and spent nearly 48 hours with Stevenson and his family. It was a gesture that resonated deeply with a player still trying to find his footing after the loss of his best friend-his dad.
“I just felt like that was the start of this season for me,” Stevenson said. “How close-knit we are.
That was the start of it. (Dews) coming out there and showing face in front of my family, that could be discouraging, not really knowing the guy whose funeral you’re going to, so I respect him for that.
And I appreciate him for that. He’s always been there for me to make sure I’m good mentally.”
At the gathering, Dews met Stevenson’s mother, Juran, and other members of the family. They shared stories.
They ate together. They connected.
Before flying home, Dews sent a message to Stevenson-one that quietly reinforced his commitment to the player beyond the field.
“I didn’t expect him to come spend that time with me because of the situation,” Dews said. “But it meant a lot.”
It meant everything.
That moment laid the foundation for a season that would test Stevenson in ways far beyond football. The early part of the offseason was a blur.
Stevenson missed the Patriots’ initial meetings and practices under Vrabel. There was no timetable for his return.
But Dews never doubted he’d be back.
When Stevenson did return, he took part in the team’s “4 H’s” tradition-a new initiative where players and coaches share stories about their Hometown, Hero, Heartbreak, and Hope. Stevenson opened up, but only a little.
He didn’t share many details about his father’s passing. He wasn’t ready.
But as the season wore on, the conversations deepened. He started referencing his dad more in casual chats with Dews-moments when football talk would drift into something more personal.
“We’ll be talking about something football-related, and he’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s the same thing my dad said,’” Dews shared. “He’s a private person, but you could tell it was always on his mind.”
Eventually, Stevenson began to speak more publicly about the loss. He revealed he wears a bracelet that holds some of his father’s ashes.
After every game, his Instagram posts carried the same caption: “RIP Pops.” And during the holidays-those tough, reflective moments-Dews kept the connection going, sending texts on Thanksgiving and Christmas, knowing those were the days when the absence would hit hardest.
Robert Stevenson wasn’t just a father. He was the heartbeat of the family.
The guy who made the house the place everyone wanted to be. The cook, the entertainer, the uncle everyone loved.
And that energy, that love, has stayed with Rhamondre all season.
It’s helped him push through the hard days-especially when the fumbling issues from last year started to resurface. The noise got loud.
Fans questioned him. Some in the media called for a change.
But inside the building, the support never wavered. Vrabel and Dews stood by him.
And Stevenson responded.
Since that rough patch, Stevenson hasn’t fumbled once. Instead, he’s been running with purpose-and production to match.
Over the last six games, all Patriots wins, he’s broken 24 tackles and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. According to Next Gen Stats, he leads the league in rush yards over expectation-a stat that measures how much more a back gains than what’s expected based on blocking and defensive alignment.
In short: Stevenson’s doing more than what’s on the table. He’s creating.
“Just knowing the people you work with have your back, that gives you so much confidence,” Stevenson said. “And I think that’s what it did for me on the field and off the field. Just carrying myself a certain way and just always showing up to work.”
He saved his best for last. In the regular-season finale, a 38-10 blowout win over Miami, Stevenson torched the Dolphins for 131 yards and two touchdowns-on just seven carries.
His mother was in the stands that night. His dad would’ve been, too.
This Sunday, if the Patriots win it all, Robert Stevenson will be there in spirit. His presence has been stitched into every step of this season-from the grief, to the growth, to the greatness.
He was a father. A husband.
A Patriots fan. A Bay Area native.
A man who loved to cook and loved his son.
And his son is honoring him with every single carry.