Rhamondre Stevenson has been going through a lot of challenges on both professional and personal fronts. His fumbling issues meant he was benched for the Week 5 game against the Dolphins. Despite not starting the game, the New England Patriots running back made an impact but suffered an unfortunate injury, ruling him out of action for Week 6. And now, Stevenson has shared an update mourning the loss of a “brother.”

On Tuesday, Stevenson took to Instagram stories to share his thoughts after losing someone he really cared about. Uploading a photo of his friends he wrote, “Really lost my brother… messed me up with this one. I love you, brother. Rest easy and look over me until we meet again.” Stevenson didn’t mention the name of the friend he lost nor shared any other details.

However, going by his story, the loss has hit the player hard as he continues to recover from an injury he suffered in the loss against the Miami Dolphins. After his four fumbles in the first four weeks of the season, head coach Jerod Mayo decided to bench him against the Dolphins. If the move was meant to spur on the RB, then it did exactly that.

Coming on late in the first quarter, Stevenson ran 33 yards for a touchdown, once again highlighting why the Pats gave the 26-year-old a four-year, $36 million extension during the offseason. Before the game against the Dolphins, he had carried the ball 65 times for 267 yards and two touchdowns and was averaging 4.1 yards per carry. While these numbers look good, it was the turnover issues that were the cause of concern.

His fumbles have cost the team big time, leading to lost possessions and points for their opponents. It was a big step back after making all that progress since 2022 when he rushed for over 1,000 yards in just seven starts. In the game against Miami, he should yet again why he continues to be rated highly by the Patriots faithful. However, it was not all easy going for the RB as his side suffered a 10-15 defeat.

Stevenson suffered a foot injury in the game after a helmet blow to his calf. As a result, he was forced to sit out all three practice games and was left out of the team for their game against the Texans in Week 6. Though this injury hampers Stevenson’s progress, HC Mayo assured fans that the injury isn’t considered long-term.

Still, this leaves Pats with a conundrum over who will replace him. Mayo suggested the team could consider promoting running backs Kevin Harris or Terrell Jennings from the practice squad. Antonio Gibson, who started last week,  remains an option and so does veteran JaMycal Hasty.

Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time, Stevenson suffered a bizarre injury during a game this season.

Rhamondre Stevenson’s awkward injury in Week 3

During the Week 3 game against the Jets, Rhamondre Stevenson got himself injured in bizarre fashion. During the second quarter, he went on a 16-yard run and was being chased by Jets’ Mark Scheifele. Just then he stiff-armed the defender and got his pinky finger stuck in his opponent’s helmet.

Not only did he injure his finger, but was flagged for a facemask. He missed the rest of the quarter but returned in the second half. Before his injury, he had amassed 20 yards on four carries. However, after his return to the field, he fumbled on the first play of the drive in the fourth quarter, leading to a Jets goal.

It is possible that there may have been some nagging issues as the fumbles continued in Week 4, leading to his benching. For now, the thoughts and prayers of the Pats family will be with Stevenson, mourning the loss of his friend, while hoping he can get back to action on the gridiron as soon as possible.