sport news Dont'a Hightower retires after winning three Super Bowls with Patriots, as Tom ... trends now
Dont'a Hightower is making a quiet exit to a memorable career with the New England Patriots, as the veteran linebacker, who didn't play at all last season, announced his retirement on Tuesday in an essay posted on the Players' Tribune website.
It ends a decade-long run in New England that began with the Patriots selecting him 25th overall in the 2012 draft. It included three Super Bowl rings (2014, 2016, 2018) with Tom Brady, who congratulated the 33-year-old for his decision on social media.
'@_boomtower Clutch. A great teammate, captain and champion. Congratulations on an amazing career,' shared the 45-year-old, seven-time Super Bowl champion,' Tom Brady wrote on Instagram in tribute on Tuesday.
Hightower also earned a pair of Pro Bowl selections (2016, 2019) and was named a second-team All-Pro in 2016, all while playing with Brady in Foxborough.
In his essay, the now-retired linebacker called his decision 'a happy day.'
Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower has announced his retirement at 33 years old on Tuesday
Hightower won three Super Bowls in his nine-year NFL career and is a two-time Pro Bowler
Tom Brady celebrates with Hightower after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in OT during the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 20, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Patriots defeated the Chiefs 37-31 that day
Brady saluted his former teammate, calling him a 'great teammate, captain and champion' on Instagram on Tuesday
'People always ask what makes the Patriots culture so different. Easy answer: it was about professionalism, period. You knew that you had to show up every single day - not just physically but more so mentally,' Hightower wrote. 'We had a saying, ''If you do it right, you do it light.'''
'Being good was expected. Being great might
