San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert broke out in a big way when the 49ers trounced the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. Mostert gained 220 yards on the ground in that game, while scoring a whopping four touchdowns on the night. His 220 yards were second-highest postseason rushing total in history, second only to legendary Rams running back Eric Dickerson, who had 248 yards in a game back in January of 1986.
Mostert has played for seven different NFL teams, including the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles, but he signed a three-year contract with the 49ers this past spring, and he may, finally, have a place to settle down and call home. The constant struggle for stability in the NFL was almost too much for Mostert to take — and if not for his wife, Devon, he may have given up on football years ago.
Raheem and Devon Mostert: A Brief History
Raheem and his wife Devon met back in college at Purdue University, which he attended from 2011-2014. They were engaged in 2015, when Mostert was with the Baltimore Ravens, and they married in March of 2017. They have a seven-month old son, Gunnar, whom they named after Mostert’s former special teams position.
Devon Mostert (formerly Beckwith) is from Chardon, Ohio, a small town about a half an hour from Cleveland, and she and Raheem have been together for nearly 10 years now. Devon seems to be a calming, nurturing influence, and based on how she has been there for her husband, she also possesses a fierce dedication and loyalty that very likely helped keep Raheem going through the most difficult of times. Like when his former father figure (not his biological dad) shot Mostert’s half-brother. Four times.
Devon Mostert Has Helped Raheem in a Multitude of Ways
Mostert’s InstagramDevon and Raheem Mostert have dealt with numerous struggles and have some out on the other side. Photo courtesy of Raheem Mostert’s Instagram.
The shooting occurred in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where Mostert grew up and played high school ball. After the man who shot his own biological son — and Mostert’s half-brother, news of the shooting broke immediately. Devon heard about it first, and took action, perhaps helping save Mostert’s future for the first time. Knowing Raheem was on a plane heading back from the National Track & Field Championships, and knowing his instincts may lead him to head to Florida to seek revenge on the man who shot his brother, she managed to get ahold of Purdue’s track coach, who kept Raheem from going straight to Florida.
“I was really about to buy a plane ticket,” Mostert says, “and head down there and ruin everything I worked for. Just to find him.”
But he didn’t. Miraculously, his half-brother survived being shot four times and managed to call Mostert that same day. According to Mostert, his brother told him, in an extremely weakened voice: “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be all right.” And he was. They still talk frequently to this day.
Devon Mostert to the Rescue, Again
After he was cut by the Cleveland Browns in 2016, Mostert almost called his football career quits. He has a busimess management degree from Purdue, and considered falling back on it. But when he asked Devon and her family what they thought about him giving up on football, they were adamant that he should keep going.
“I remember sitting there and asking, ‘Hey what do you guys see me doing?'” Mostert told Sports Illustrated this week. “The way my career has gone so far, I have been on five different teams in one year, my rookie year. For me, I felt like that was unheard of.”
Both Devon and her parents told Mostert that he had their unyielding and unconditional support, urging him to never give up — to still follow his dreams. “That conversation was so short,” Devon said. “He was like alright, on to the next, we’ll see what colors I’m wearing this week.”
This week, as he has every week this season, Mostert will suit up in the red and gold, and will be seeking his first Super Bowl ring.
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49ers RB Raheem Mostert’s Wife Devon Helped Saved His Career — Twice