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 even get you a thumbs up from [coach] Bill [Belichick]. Luckily, I knew a thing or two about that from my time at Alabama under Coach [Nick] Saban.' 'For nine seasons, I lived that mentality 24/7. Today, I'm totally at peace knowing that I gave this franchise every ounce of sweat I had left.' Hightower appeared in 117 games in his NFL career, amassing 27 sacks and 353 tackles. With his wife expecting their first child, he opted to sit out the 2020 season because of concerns about COVID-19. He returned in 2021, but his production was down. He played in 15 games, logging 64 tackles and one-and-a-a-half sacks. He became a free agent that summer but didn't sign a new contract. Hightower likely will be most remembered for tackling Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch on the one-yard line late in the Super Bowl following the 2014 season. The play preceded Russell Wilson's pass that was intercepted by Malcolm Butler in the end zone to clinch the Patriots' 28-24 victory. Hightower played a crucial role in the Patriots' Super Bowl LXIX win, tackling Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch on the one-yard line in the four quarter. The play preceded QB Russell Wilson's pass that was intercepted by Malcolm Butler in the end zone to clinch the Patriots' 28-23 win Hightower came up big again in Super Bowl LI when he strip-sacked Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan in the fourth quarter. At the time of the play, the Patriots were trailing the Falcons 28-12 'When I saw Seattle line up in that I-form, I knew Beast Mode was getting it, and I knew they'd been gashing us with that strong-side lead all game,' Hightower recalled in his essay. 'I knew he was going to walk through a huge hole if I didn't take a risk. [...] I figured we had nothing to lose. So I ripped up under [Russell] Okung and shot my shot. All I saw was Marshawn's two legs churning, and I just prayed to God that I could clip him up or something. I reached out...and you already know what happened next.' Two seasons later, he came up big again in the Super Bowl. With the Patriots trailing the Falcons 28-12, his strip-sack of Atlanta's Matt Ryan in the fourth quarter was recovered by Alan Branch. New England used a short field and scored to get within one possession. The Patriots ultimately tied it and capped off a historic comeback win in overtime. 'I'll never get tired of inscribing ''The Strip Sack'' on anything I sign,' Hightower wrote. All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility