- Sloane Stephen’s parents are John Stephen and Sybil Smith
- They were both athletes who were recognized for their different sports and their abilities
- The celebrity parents’ marriage did not last as they divorced when the athlete was barely a year due to her father’s involvement in a lot of legal squabbles
Sloane Stephens’s parents are John Stephens, a former NFL player, and Sybil Smith, a professional swimmer, and psychologist. The couple separated in 1994 when Sloane was barely a year old.
Her father has been caught in a web of legal cases revolving around sexual abuse. One earned him probation and another was pending at the time of his demise in 2009. On the other hand, Sybil has kept a clean slate having remarried after the divorce.
Meet Sloane Stephens’s Parents: John Stephens and Sybil Smith
John Stephens
John Milton Stephens was an American professional footballer who was born on February 23, 1966, in Shreveport, Louisiana. As a professional footballer, he won the 1988 Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl as Patriots running back.
He spent 6 seasons in the NFL: 5 seasons with the Patriots before playing for the Falcons, Packers, and Chief in 1993. While he was in his second NFL season, he had an accident with Jeff Fuller that caused him to be paralyzed on his right arm. This brought an end to Fuller’s career.
Apart from football, John was also infamous for his legal squabbles. In 1994, he was arrested in Missouri and charged with sexual offenses subsequently, pled guilty to rape and was sentenced to probation. Again in May 2009, he was arrested for the rape of a 51-year-old woman.
In the later time of his life, he developed a disease known as degenerative bone disease. The former athlete only had the opportunity to get to his daughter Sloane after his diagnosis, at the time, she was 13 years old. It was then that they started to develop a father-daughter relationship, unfortunately, this newfound relationship would not last long.
Sadly, he died in a car accident on September 2, 2009, after he lost control of the truck he was driving on Louisiana Highway. At the time the accident occurred the Ex-footballer was not wearing a seatbelt.
Sybil Smith
Sloane Stephens’s mother is an American former collegiate swimmer. She was born on November 23, 1966, in Fresno, California. Her father, Noel Smith was originally from Trinidad but moved to the United States after he won a scholarship to study medicine at Howard University.
Sybil attended San Joaquin Memorial High School and upon graduation, she proceeded to Boston University, where she started swimming actively. In her senior year, she was placed sixth at the NCAA Championship in the 100-yard backstroke event.
Subsequently, she became the first African-American female swimmer to be named the first-team Division I All-American. At the time of this writing, she is still the All-American female swimmer in the school’s history. She is regarded as Boston’s top swimmer and holds seven school records.
However, her accomplishments were far beyond sport. After Sybil graduated from college, she moved to a graduate school at Harvard University, where she studied and became a psychologist. While at Havard, she served as the assistant coach of the swim team while encouraging youths to learn how to swim.
Subsequently, she has written articles for different publications including Sports Illustrated, where she wrote about the challenges of being a successful swimmer.
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What Happened to Sloane Stephens’s Parents?
Sloane Stephens’s parents separated in 1994 when the tennis player was barely a year old. The separation stemmed from his being arrested multiple times for sexual offenses.
She went on to marry Sheldon Farrell, a tennis player, in 1997. He is one of Sloane’s major inspirations for going into tennis and also her first coach. They welcomed a child, Shawn Farrell, who became a high school baseball and football player. He is also a singer and is signed to Empire Distribution, as a recording artist and videographer.
Sadly, Sheldon died in 2007, after battling cancer for a while. Ever since she has remained single. Sybil has devoted her time to taking care of her children and supporting them. She is always seen attending Sloane’s games. The tennis player appreciated her mother for her support in her career. This came after the athlete won her first US Open title in March 2023.
On the other hand, John did not remarry. Furthermore, he had a pending case at the time of this death.
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