Matt Stevens, a former NFL safety and Super Bowl XXXVI winner with the New England Patriots, passed away on March 20 at the age of 51.

The New England Patriots confirmed Stevens’ passing on Thursday, March 27, without disclosing the cause of death.

An obituary from Walker’s Funeral Home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, stated: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Matthew Stevens age 51, beloved son and father.”

Stevens, a resident of Durham, North Carolina, since retiring from football in 2003, had an eight-year career in the NFL, playing for five different teams. His professional journey began when the Buffalo Bills picked him in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft.

His most significant achievement came in the 2001 season with the New England Patriots. Stevens participated in all but one game that season, achieving 43 tackles in 15 regular-season games. During the Patriots’ playoff run, he added six more tackles, contributing to their first Super Bowl victory with a 20-17 win over the St. Louis Rams.

Throughout his NFL career, Stevens also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, and Houston Texans. He appeared in 108 games, recording 301 tackles, 13 interceptions, and one sack. His standout season came in 1999 with Washington, where he made a career-high seven interceptions.

Before his professional career, Stevens was a notable athlete at Chapel Hill High School, graduating in 1991. He then became a two-time All-American safety at Appalachian State University, helping the Mountaineers win the Southern Conference championship in 1995. Stevens was inducted into both the Appalachian State Athletics Hall of Fame and the Chapel Hill High School Hall of Fame.

In 2007, Stevens was involved in a motorcycle accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite this setback, he showed resilience by participating in clinical trials in 2011 for the ReWalk device, a wearable exoskeleton that enabled mobility with special leg braces.

Former teammates and friends have reminisced about Stevens since his passing. James “J.K” Reaves, a former teammate at Appalachian State, described him as “hands down the fastest guy on the team” and remarked that “he went on to do what so many of us dreamed of, playing at the professional level.”

Stevens is survived by his parents, Jean Thillberg and Vincent Stevens, his brother Mark Stevens, and his children Cassidie and Colin Stevens of Avon by the Sea, New Jersey.

As news of Stevens’ death spread, fans and former teammates have taken to social media to express condolences and share memories of the player who played a pivotal role in the Patriots’ early success and showed resilience in overcoming personal challenges after his career.