The tone of the text message Montez Sweat received in December 2021, was enough to make him realize that something was wrong! That was a message from his sister, Yvette Sweat. She informed the professional athlete that their aunt, Cecily, was coming over to his place and that she loved him. Well, the year 2021 brought two heartbreaking news for the athlete and his family. Montez lost his two close family members – mother Michelle due to a brain aneurysm – and elder brother Anthony in a gun-firing incident.

Hearing his brother’s death, Montez, who was with Washington at that time, was paralyzed with pain. He couldn’t move, despite desperately wanting to be with his sister at that time. And all he did was cry every day on his bed, yearning for his brother in pain. Nevertheless, today, Montez is left with his big sister from his four-member family, apart from his first child, baby Shiloh, and partner Tiana.

The Chicago Bears defensive end is the youngest child of mom Michelle Sweat. While there is no information available about Montez’s father, what’s known is Michelle was the mother of three – Montez, his sister Yvette, and late brother Anthony Sweat.

And it’s very much clear that Montez is extremely close to his big sister, as it’s evident from the number of posts he has uploaded on his social media account. Wishing Yvette a happy birthday on March 23, 2022, Montez shared a series of pictures and wrote a beautiful caption for her.

The 27-year-old wrote, “Happy Born Day to my beautiful Big Lil sister. You’ve been with me every step of the way. I love you forever.” Replying to his post, Yvette expressed her love as well, as she wrote, “My brother, my love, my baby before I birthed my own. I love and appreciate you and I’m so proud of you and all you’ve accomplished and everything that is to come! These pictures a little rough (three laughing emojis) but I just appreciate you, and the love you show and give! Im always be right here in your corner! Love you always and forever!”

Montez also has one post dedicated to his late brother on his Instagram account. He uploaded a vintage childhood picture of the two siblings a couple of days after Anthony’s death and wrote, “I Love You Forever Bro. Your Heart Mind And Soul Will Always Be With Me,” While this time, his brother was not there to express his love for the younger bro,  Montez “had to find a reason to live.”

Anthony’s dream lived by Montez Sweat

Montez Sweat’s world was shattered in 2021 when his brother Anthony Sweat was tragically killed at an apartment complex in Richmond, three days after Christmas. In his grief, he found solace in football, channeling his pain into an impressive season. Despite his reserved nature, Montez’s tragedy opened him up to those around him. Coach Ron Rivera noticed how he became more integrated with his teammates and learned to cope better. His sister, Yvette, also observed a deepened connection between them, as they now openly discuss their feelings.

Brother Anthony, two years older than Montez, was a huge influence on his life. He was the one in the house who first started playing football, later inspiring Montez to take up the sport with the same passion. When Montez grew into his football career, he even joked with his big brother, calling himself Anthony’s “little big brother.” However, on the flip side, Anthony was extremely proud to see his younger version living his dream. By personality, Yvette describes Anthony as a protective and charismatic figure, contrasting with Montez’s quieter demeanor.

Now we know how close Anthony was to Montez. As per reports, even the arrest of a suspect in Anthony’s murder didn’t end the player’s grief. Whenever Sweat dealt with this nostalgia, he often turned to his mother’s faith, finding strength in scripture. However, there was another incident in his life that helped him surpass the pain of the 2021 tragedy. Montez became a father to his first child, daughter Shiloh, in 2022 and it gave him “another reason to live.”