Longtime New England Patriots captain Devin McCourty and his wife, Michelle, are grieving the loss of their daughter Mia, who was stillborn last Sunday.
"I cry as I type this. Dev and I suffered the most painful experience of our lives," Michelle wrote on Instagram. "My pregnancy had resulted in a still birth at almost 8 months of being pregnant -- at exactly 31 weeks 2 days when we found out that the baby girl growing inside me no longer had a heart beat after being completely fine the week before at my last doctor's [appointment].
"We are so heartbroken. We are devastated. We are speechless. We are angry. We are sad. We are confused. We are numb."
Devin, who has spent his entire 11-year career with the Patriots, shared the post on his Twitter account. In recent media interviews, he had expressed excitement that the couple were expecting their third child.
"While trying to cope with our family's loss, we appreciate the love and support we've already gotten, and just ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time, since we have no answers to give anyway," Michelle wrote in her post.
Devin McCourty's charitable work, and leadership role in the Players Coalition, has made him one of the NFL's most influential players off the field.
Along with his twin brother Jason, he is a finalist for ESPN's Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award, given to those "whose demonstrated leadership has created a positive impact on their community through sports."