Darez Diggs: The Middle Brother Writing His Own Story

Darez Diggs is a former professional football player, entrepreneur, and the middle brother of NFL stars Stefon Diggs and Trevon Diggs. Born on December 18, 1995, in Washington, D.C., he played defensive back across multiple college programs before reaching the professional level with the Los Angeles Wildcats in the XFL in 2020. He never made it to the NFL — but his story is worth knowing for reasons that go well beyond that single fact.

Today he runs a lifestyle and streetwear brand called Blue Boii, manages his social media presence under the handle @marseandiggs, and is serving a two-year probation sentence after a 2023 elevator incident in Los Angeles that made national headlines. His is a complicated story — football promise, a famous family name, real setbacks, and a slow rebuild. All of it is his own.

Quick Bio: Darez Diggs at a Glance

Growing Up Diggs: Washington D.C. and a Family Built on Grit

The Diggs household in Washington, D.C. was not wealthy, but it was full. Three brothers — Stefon, Darez, and Trevon — growing up in a tight-knit family held together largely by their mother Stephanie, who worked as an Amtrak attendant for nearly 30 years.

Their father Aron Diggs died in January 2008 from congestive heart failure. He was 39 years old. Darez was just 12.

That loss hit differently for each brother. Stefon, the eldest, stepped into a quasi-paternal role for his younger siblings. For Darez — the middle child, at an age when fathers matter enormously — it meant growing up faster than he should have had to. Football became both an escape and a purpose.

Darez attended Friendship Collegiate Academy in D.C., a school with a genuine football tradition. Coaches noticed him early — his 6’2″ frame, natural athleticism, and competitiveness stood out. He played defense and could also line up at receiver when needed. By the time he finished high school, college scouts were paying attention.

The College Journey: Nothing Came Easy

Darez’s path through college football was not a straight line — and that matters for understanding who he is.

He started at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa — a JUCO program well known for developing players who need more time before stepping into four-year competition. He built his defensive fundamentals there and earned enough attention to attract Division I interest.

From Iowa Western, he moved to Morgan State University, where he wore jersey number 35 as a defensive back. Then came his biggest collegiate opportunity — the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers, where he became one of the youngest cornerbacks on a Division I roster.

In 2012, his coach at Globe Institute described him as the team’s best blocking receiver — a compliment that highlighted his physicality and willingness to engage. At UAB, he was in legitimate Division I competition, working against players who had NFL ambitions of their own.

He never got drafted. The NFL is a thin margin — and even talented players miss it for reasons that have as much to do with timing, depth charts, and luck as raw ability.

The XFL: A Professional Dream, A Pandemic Ending

In early 2020, Darez got the opportunity he had been chasing — a professional contract with the Los Angeles Wildcats in the XFL.

For context, the XFL at the time was Vince McMahon’s rebooted spring football league, designed to give players outside the NFL a legitimate professional platform. The talent level was serious — the rosters included former NFL veterans and college players who deserved more looks than they got. Getting signed was a real achievement.

Darez played safety/cornerback for the Wildcats and competed against exactly the kind of professional-caliber athletes that test whether a player truly belongs at that level.

Then COVID-19 arrived.

In March 2020, five weeks into the season, the XFL suspended operations entirely. The league eventually folded. Darez’s professional debut — the opportunity he had spent years working toward — ended not because of his performance but because of a global pandemic.

That is one of the crueler sports stories of that era. A lot of players were affected, but it stings differently when you’ve already waited longer than you should have to get your shot.

Life After Football: Blue Boii

When the XFL door closed, Darez pivoted. He founded a lifestyle and streetwear brand called Blue Boii — a fashion label that blends athletic culture with contemporary street style.

It’s not a massive brand by industry standards, but it’s real and it’s his. He promotes it through Instagram at @marseandiggs, where his 26,000 followers get a window into his personal style, daily life, and the brand’s evolving identity.

Building a clothing brand from scratch — without an NFL salary, without a major platform — takes genuine hustle. The fact that he hasn’t walked away from it through everything that has happened speaks to how seriously he takes it.

The family’s fashion sensibility runs deep. Anyone who follows Stefon Diggs knows his pre-game fits are a full event. That aesthetic sense is in the bloodline, and Darez is channeling it into his own independent enterprise.

The Elevator Incident: What Actually Happened

In May 2023, surveillance cameras in a Los Angeles apartment building captured an incident that would follow Darez publicly for the next two years.

According to footage and legal records, Darez held elevator doors open while two men with him attacked Christopher Griffith, a resident of the building. The men kicked Griffith, dragged him across the lobby floor, and stole an orange purse containing diamonds and other jewelry. Darez held the doors but did not physically attack Griffith himself.

The LAPD took the case seriously. The jewelry stolen was valued at approximately $100,000 according to Griffith’s subsequent civil lawsuit, in which he also alleged emotional distress, pain, and suffering.

Nearly a year later, in April 2024, Darez struck a deal with prosecutors. He pleaded no contest to a single felony charge of grand theft from an individual. The additional felony robbery charge was dismissed as part of the agreement.

His sentence: two years of probation and 20 hours of community service. No jail time.

The civil lawsuit from Griffith remains active. Darez has kept public statements minimal throughout, which his legal team almost certainly advised.

The Famous Brothers: Context Without Comparison

No article about Darez is complete without acknowledging Stefon and Trevon — but the point isn’t comparison. It’s context.

Stefon Diggs (born May 29, 1993) is the eldest brother. He played college football at the University of Maryland, was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, became a Pro Bowl receiver, and has played for the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans. As of 2025, he is with the New England Patriots. His estimated net worth is around $20 million.

Trevon Diggs (born September 20, 1998) is the youngest. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, made All-Pro in 2021 with a league-leading 11 interceptions, and signed a five-year, $97 million extension with Dallas in 2023. He was released by the Cowboys in December 2025 and briefly claimed by the Green Bay Packers before being released again in January 2026.

Darez sits between two brothers who became genuine NFL stars. That’s not a failure — it’s just how talent distribution works. Plenty of elite athletes never make the NFL. Plenty of football families produce one star. The Diggs family produced two. Darez was the third.

It’s worth noting that Quandre Diggs — the safety who has played for the Seattle Seahawks — shares the last name but is not related to Stefon, Trevon, or Darez.

Who He Is Now

As of 2025, Darez Diggs is in a quiet rebuilding phase.

He is serving his probation, running Blue Boii, and staying off the radar. His Instagram activity continues but remains lifestyle-focused — fashion, family moments, personal expression. He has not made public statements about the elevator case beyond what the legal proceedings required.

The family bonds appear intact. The Diggs brothers have faced real adversity before — losing their father at young ages, watching their mother hold everything together on an Amtrak attendant’s salary — and they came through it together. This chapter appears to be following the same pattern.

His net worth is estimated at approximately $1 million — a fraction of his brothers’ earnings, built from XFL income, Blue Boii sales, and brand partnerships. It’s modest by celebrity standards and entirely real by every other measure.

FAQs

Who is Darez Diggs? He is a former XFL football player, entrepreneur, and the middle brother of NFL stars Stefon Diggs and Trevon Diggs. He was born on December 18, 1995, in Washington, D.C.

Did Darez Diggs play in the NFL? No. He played college football at Iowa Western CC, Morgan State, and UAB, and reached the professional level with the Los Angeles Wildcats in the XFL in 2020, but never played in the NFL.

What happened in the elevator incident? In May 2023, Darez was captured on surveillance footage holding elevator doors open while two men attacked and robbed Christopher Griffith in a Los Angeles apartment building. In April 2024, he pleaded no contest to one felony charge and received two years of probation and 20 hours of community service.

What is Blue Boii? Blue Boii is Darez’s lifestyle and streetwear clothing brand, which he promotes primarily through Instagram at @marseandiggs.

What is Darez Diggs’ net worth? His net worth is estimated at approximately $1 million, earned through football, his clothing brand, and related ventures.

How is Darez related to Stefon and Trevon Diggs? He is the middle brother. Stefon is the eldest, Darez is in the middle (born 1995), and Trevon is the youngest (born 1998). All three grew up in Washington, D.C.

Conclusion

Darez Diggs never became an NFL player. He came close — XFL close — then a pandemic shut the door before he could prove what he might have done with a full professional season.

What followed was a decade of adapting — to football’s limits, to life under a famous name, to a serious legal mistake that became national news. None of it has been easy. Most of it has been public.

What he’s doing now is quieter and more honest than headlines tend to capture. He’s building a brand, serving his time, staying connected to family, and figuring out the next chapter the same way he’s figured out every previous one — without anyone handing him anything.

The Diggs name carries real weight in American football. Stefon and Trevon earned that. Darez is still earning his version of it — just in a different arena, on a different timeline, and entirely on his own terms.