Stefon Diggs Once Recalled How Brother Trevon Diggs Stayed Strong After Their Dad’s Death

Brothers Stefon Diggs and Trevon Diggs are each looking to bounce back this season, with both coming off of season-ending injuries from last season. Stefon, who played for the Houston Texans in his lone season with the AFC South team, suffered a non-contact injury to his knee in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts, which turned out to be an ACL tear. He missed the remainder of the season and played just eight games. 

Trevon suffered a groin injury and was inactive for Weeks 12 and 13 last season. On December 14, 2024, the Dallas Cowboys announced Diggs would miss the rest of the season as he had surgery to repair the same knee on which he suffered an ACL tear last season. 

While the two brothers are one of the best brother duos in NFL history, life wasn’t so easy for the Maryland natives. Their father, Aaron Diggs, passed away in January of 2008 at the age of 39 due to congestive heart failure. This forced older brother Stefon to take on more of a father figure role, and their father’s death was a big reason for him playing for Maryland in college. 

In an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated two years ago, the two opened up and spoke about their hardships growing up without a father. Stefon knew it was tough to go through and couldn’t imagine the pain his younger brother felt. 

“I was young, but he was younger than me,” Stefon recalled. “So, I can’t imagine how we had to deal with it and how we fought through it together, learning how to be without a dad and keep pushing forward.”

Trevon said that a tough childhood for him and his brother led to their success. They turned a tragic situation into motivation and ended up becoming successful NFL players. 

“All of those things that happened to us growing up played a big part into our success now,” Trevon said.

Trevon then spoke about the motivation he got from watching Stefon play at packed-out games, comparing the games to college football games. He said that Stefon succeeding in football and realizing that football could lead to success for himself made him develop a love for the game. 

This season, both brothers will look to bounce back from their injuries. In Stefon’s lone season with the Texans, he had 47 catches, 496 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in eight games played. He signed with the New England Patriots in free agency, joining his fourth team in his NFL career. At age 31, he will face challenges bouncing back from his ACL injury. 

Trevon will also look to come back strong from a second season-ending injury in the last two seasons. He was selected as an All-Pro in 2021 and hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since the 2022 season.