{"id":780135,"date":"2026-02-27T15:32:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/780135\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T15:32:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:32:20","slug":"raiders-gm-john-spytek-shares-tragic-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/780135\/","title":{"rendered":"Raiders’ GM John Spytek Shares Tragic News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

General manager John Spytek of the Las Vegas Raiders speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 24, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. <\/p>\n

Las Vegas Raiders<\/a>\u2018 General Manager John Spytek has made waves in the NFL<\/a> since his time with the Denver Broncos<\/a>. Of course, his tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> was highly successful with Spytek\u2019s ability to recruit top players garnering both teams with Super Bowl wins. But recruitment of legendary players and team management are far from the GM\u2019s strengths. Unfortunately, though, it has taken tragedy for Spytek to showcase his full repertoire of impact.<\/p>\n

Alongside his wife, Kristen Hutchinson Spytek, John has turned an unfathomable event off the field into a national effort to raise awareness and work to fund lifesaving measures. Here\u2019s what to know about the Spyteks\u2019 personal tragedy and their professional work away from the NFL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

DISCLAIMER: Information in this article has been obtained exclusively by the author directly from the Spytek Family.<\/p>\n

Spytek Shares Loss of Child, Birth of National Organization\"\"<\/p>\n

GettyGeneral manager John Spytek of the Las Vegas Raiders attends a news conference introducing quarterback Geno Smith<\/a> at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters\/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on April 07, 2025 in Henderson, Nevada.<\/p>\n

Having dated since college, John and Kristen Spytek were married for five years when they welcomed their first child, daughter Evelyn Grace<\/a>. However, Evelyn was born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) and her life was tragically cut short at just 21 months of age. John and Kristen went on to welcome two more children, sons Jack and Thomas, while they began working to build the National CMV Foundation<\/a> to raise awareness of the three letters \u2013 C, M, V \u2013 which were mere \u201cletters of the alphabet\u201d to them less than two years before they were faced with the loss of their only daughter.<\/p>\n

Kristen now serves as the President of the National CMV Foundation, which aims to inform, engage, and advocate for families affected by congenital cytomegalovirus.<\/p>\n

The Condition Affects 20% of Children By Age Five<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kristen Hutchinson Spytek has spent over a decade spearheading the National CMV Foundation<\/a> and growing their body of work in advocacy, education, and the funding of research initiatives. Teaching a growing audience of families, medical practitioners, and policymakers about CMV is the \u201cfirst step\u201d in raising awareness and funding critical studies to advance treatments of the condition.<\/p>\n

Evelyn Grace Spytek was born with congenital cytomegalovirus, which affects 1 in 200 babies, according to the CDC<\/a>. It occurs when a pregnant woman is infected with the virus and it crosses the placenta and subsequently infects to the growing fetus.\u00a0A healthy mother usually will go asymptomatic and have no idea that she has contracted the virus, but babies born with congenital CMV frequently experience physical impairments \u2013 especially hearing loss and damage to critical organs like the lungs, liver, and spleen \u2013 and cognitive handicaps resulting from fetal damage to the brain.<\/p>\n

By the age of five, approximately 1 in 5 children are infected with CMV and many adults contract the virus after adolescence. However, the majority of children and adults with healthy immune systems are typically unaware that they have been infected and usually only experience temporary. flu-like symptoms. This makes congenital cytomegalovirus a difficult reality to grasp for healthy mothers whose pregnancies have seemed normal until they hear the three words which the Spyteks\u2019 say still make their hearts race and keep them up at night.<\/p>\n

You can learn more about the National CMV Foundation<\/a> and support the Spyteks\u2019 work here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Raiders\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t