The New England Patriots announced on Thursday that Matt Stevens, a member of the 2001 Patriots team that won the Super Bowl, passed away last week at the age of 51.
A third-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1996, Stevens played in the NFL for eight seasons. He spent parts of three years with Washington, parts of two each with New England, Houston and Philadelphia and that first year of his career in Buffalo.
He played in 15 of 16 games for the 2001 Pats, totaling 43 tackles, two passes defensed, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He had six tackles during the run to the Super Bowl. Before making it to the NFL, Stevens was a two-time All-American safety at Appalachian State.
Stevens was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of a spinal injury suffered in a motorcycle accident in 2007. He eventually regained some mobility in his legs with help of a wearable exoskeleton and assistance of special leg braces.
He is survived by “his mother, Jean Thillberg, his father Vincent Stevens, his brother Mark Stevens and his children Cassidie and Colin Stevens of Avon by the Sea, New Jersey, as well as aunts, uncles and cousins,” according to an obituary.
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