Josiah Stewart has social media, too.
asserted
Stewart → have → media
The Rams edge rusher saw a tweet on X that said he had 18 siblings and that they all grew up together in a house overflowing with brothers and sisters, playing basketball and tag with his enormous family before emerging from the chaos to become a national champion at Michigan and eventually making it to the NFL.
asserted
they → see → NFL
With 18 siblings, you could almost field your own 11-on-11 family football game.
uncertain
you → field → game
It’s not entirely true.
asserted
It → ’ → ?
“There’s some misconception on there,” Stewart told the California Post in an exclusive interview of the information about his family that’s currently circulating on social media.
asserted
that → ’ → media
“So, I do have 18 siblings.
asserted
I → have → siblings
I didn’t grow up with all of them.
asserted
I → grow → them
Welcome to the internet, where a kernel of truth can turn into a full-blown origin story before the person actually living it gets a chance to reveal the truth.
asserted
person → welcome → truth
Here’s the true story, straight from Stewart’s mouth.
asserted
story → ’ → mouth
Stewart does indeed have 18 siblings that are split between his mother’s and father’s sides of the family.
asserted
that → have → family
But the mental image of 19 children growing up under one roof isn’t reality.
asserted
image → grow → roof
Stewart was born in the Bronx.
asserted
Stewart → bear → Bronx
His father, Andrew Stewart, had several children from a previous marriage.
asserted
father → have → marriage
He moved to Massachusetts around the age of 10, where his mother and sisters raised him.
asserted
mother → move → him
As he remembers it, he was essentially the only boy in the house and spent a lot of time playing with his second-youngest sister.
asserted
he → remember → sister
That environment helped shape a future NFL pass rusher in ways that have nothing to do with sacks, tackles or getting around an offensive tackle.
asserted
that → help → tackle
“You learn a lot growing up with women,” Stewart said.
asserted
Stewart → learn → women
There is something wonderfully unexpected about an edge rusher talking about compassion.
asserted
rusher → be → compassion
Because every Sunday, Stewart is paid to do something decidedly less compassionate: terrorize quarterbacks.
asserted
Stewart → pay → quarterbacks
Stewart got a late start to football.
asserted
Stewart → get → football
Growing up in New York and Massachusetts, he said he gravitated toward street basketball because it was available on every corner and playground.
asserted
it → grow → corner
Unlike most NFL athletes, Stewart’s journey to the NFL wasn’t a lifelong dream cultivated through youth leagues, private coaches and travel tournaments.
asserted
journey → cultivate → leagues
In fact, he didn’t even begin playing organized football until his freshman year of high school.
asserted
he → begin → school
Stewart attended Everett High School where he played football with other NFL stars Mike Sainristil, Isaiah Likely and Lewis Cine.
asserted
he → attend → stars
As a junior, he had seven sacks and a fumble recovery.
asserted
he → have → sacks
He was expected to have a breakout senior season, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
asserted
it → expect → pandemic
Stewart was rated as a three-star recruit out of high school and committed to play college football at Coastal Carolina University.
asserted
Stewart → rat → University
That’s where his older siblings, who were not as much a part of his life growing up, began taking notice and supporting their brother.
asserted
who → ’ → brother
“Even when I was at Coastal, they were excited to come watch me play,” Stewart said.
asserted
Stewart → come → Coastal
“Just having any sibling playing any sport, they always want to come out and support.
asserted
they → have → sport
Stewart became a standout at Coastal Carolina and transferred to Michigan after his sophomore year, helping the Wolverines win a national championship in 2023.
asserted
Wolverines → become → 2023
Following the 2024 season, Stewart entered the NFL draft where he was selected in the third round by the Rams.
asserted
he → follow → Rams
Stewart played behind Jared Verse and Byron Young in his rookie season and finished with three sacks, six quarterback hits, and 22 tackles.
asserted
Stewart → play → sacks
He’s looking to improve upon those numbers this season.
asserted
He → look → numbers
Stewart said his large family hasn’t made it out to SoFi Stadium yet, but because most of them are on the East Coast they will come out to some away games this season, possibly Week 4 in Philadelphia against the Eagles.
uncertain
they → say → Eagles
After that game, he’ll have a family reunion of sorts, and maybe they’ll talk about all the embellished social media posts.
asserted
they → have → posts
Stewart didn’t grow up wrestling for space with 18 siblings inside an impossibly crowded Bronx home.
asserted
Stewart → grow → home
Instead, he grew up around his mother and older sisters and learned compassion and emotional intelligence from the women who helped raise him.
asserted
who → grow → him
And maybe that truth is much more interesting than the rumors floating around on the internet.
asserted
truth → float → internet
The Aporia
