New England Patriots star Dont'a Hightower officially annouced his retirement on Tuesday. Sure enough, his former teammate and NFL legend Tom Brady made sure to give him an incredible parting message fitting for a player of his stature.
Hightower was a huge part of the Patriots' victories in the Super Bowl XLIX, Super Bowl LI and Super Bowl LIII. He is a true clutch performer who allowed New England to thrive along with Brady. Who could ever forget his tackle of Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch at the red zone during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX? It was undoubtedly one of the clutchest--albeit underappreciated--plays in Super Bowl history.
So when Hightower decided to call it a career, Brady was one of the first people to pay tribute and honor him. On his Instagram stories, TB12 called Hightower a "great teammate."
"Clutch. A great teammate, captain and champion. Congratulations on an amazing career," Brady said of the veteran linebacker.
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Dont'a Hightower was drafted by the Patriots in 2012. He played for nine seasons with the team, missing both the 2020 and 2022 seasons. He finished his career with New England recording 383 solo tackles, 27 sacks and one interception. He also made five fumble recoveries and 18 passes defended over 117 games in the regular season.
After Tom Brady, Dont'a Hightower Retires
Tom Brady also announced his retirement this offseason, sharing in an Instagram video last February that he has decided to call it a career. Brady spent the majority of his career with the Patriots before moving to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
He also decided to retire in 2021, but he took a U-Turn just over a month later and returned to the Bucs.
Following his retirement this 2023, another Patriot staple in Devin McCourty also retired. Now, it's Hightower who's calling it a career. The 33-year-old took to The Players' Tribune to reveal his decision, noting that it's "time to hang em up."
"Today, I am officially retiring from the NFL. I know these announcements always feel bittersweet, but I can't think of a better story than the one I wrote in New England. A decade, three Super Bowls, two Pro Bowls, and the birth of my son - all playing for one franchise. How many guys have a story like that?" Hightower wrote.
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