New England Patriots star Eli Raridon and his wife have suffered an unimaginable loss just weeks into the NFL season.
The couple announced that their newborn son, Peter James, had passed away in a heartbreaking statement on Instagram on Tuesday.
The tight end, 22, and his wife, Anna, welcomed their baby on September 11 but the newborn died shortly after birth.
Anna shared that they had learned at her 20-week pregnancy scan that Peter had been diagnosed with anencephaly, a rare fatal condition that meant he would not survive outside of the womb.
‘While we are absolutely devastated that we were unable to bring our baby boy home, I am grateful to have loved him deeply, kept him safe, and had been his home for the past 9 months before he was called back to Heaven,’ she wrote on Instagram.
‘I have often found it easy to glorify the Lord when life is going well, but it is in our deepest trials that we are drawn closest to Him. We may never understand the why behind this journey, but one thing we know with certainty is that God promises to care for His children.
New England Patriots star Eli Raridon and his wife, Anna, announced the loss of their newborn
The couple shared that they welcomed Peter James on September 11 but he passed away
‘I believe our little boy was lovingly knitted together in the womb by God, knowing how deeply he would be loved by our families, our friends, Eli, and me. Though his time with us was brief, his life still precious, his purpose still meaningful, and he will forever be a part of our story.
‘I have loved you every second of your life & will miss you every second of mine. What a sweet sweet reunion ours will be.’
Anencephaly is a serious birth defect where, during pregnancy, the neural tube that helps form the baby’s brain, skull, spine and backbones does not close all the way, according to the CDC.
At birth, babies with anencephaly often do not have a front part of the brain, thinking and coordinating part of the brain, or one or skin covering the remaining parts of the brain.
Almost all babies born with anencephaly die shortly after birth. There is no cure or treatment.
The couple learned their baby had been diagnosed with anencephaly, a rare fatal condition
Raridon and Anna tied the knot in May 2025 before the tight end’s final season at Notre Dame
Raridon and Anna tied the knot in May 2025 before the tight end’s final season at Notre Dame.
The football player popped the question in August 2024 following years of dating with the couple having at high school.
Anna shared the news that they were expecting their first child together in March, shortly before Raridon was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
‘Half me, half you – fearfully & wonderfully made, thank you Jesus!!! baby Raridon arriving this fall,’ she wrote at the time alongside a few photos of the two of them at the beach
