Another New England Patriots legend is calling it a career.
Former Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower on Tuesday announced his retirement in a piece he wrote for The Players’ Tribune. The two-time Pro Bowl selection shared some of his fondest memories from his nine seasons in New England and thanked Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, who coached Hightower at Alabama.
“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,” Hightower wrote. “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?”
As Hightower said, he won three Super Bowls during his time with the Patriots. He played a massive role in the second one when he had a key strip sack on Matt Ryan late in New England’s famous comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Hightower, 33, did not play last season after his contract with the Patriots expired. He finishes his career with 569 total tackles and 27 sacks. The former first-round pick was one of the anchors of Belichick’s defense for the better part of a decade.
