On Tuesday, 3-time Super Bowl champion, and a Patriots legend, Dont’a Hightower, announced his retirement from the NFL. Earlier, he wrote a heartfelt retirement letter in ‘The Players’ Tribune’ to announce his goodbye to the Patriots after playing nine seasons for them. Since the announcement, many players reacted to the news and one of them was his former teammate, Tom Brady. Earlier, Brady took to social media and penned some soulful words for the linebacker. 

Notably, Brady also announced his retirement earlier in February this year, for the second time. He posted a video message on his Instagram to announce the news. Almost two months later, he is witnessing another retirement from the NFL.

Tom Brady reacts to Dont’a Hightower’s retirement news

Earlier, Brady posted a picture of Hightower on his Instagram story, and in the caption, he wrote, “Clutch. A great teammate, captain and champion. Congratulations on an amazing career.“

Before that, Hightower took to ‘The Players’ Tribune’ and wrote some lovely words for his former team. He wrote, “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?”

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“I’m totally at peace knowing that I gave this franchise every ounce of sweat I had left… Thank you. Just thank you. I wouldn’t rewrite a single chapter of this story,” the linebacker further wrote. In the letter, he also talked about his journey from getting drafted back in 2012 to becoming 3x Super Bowl champions. Moreover, he praised the professionalism of the Patriots team, which made his journey even sweeter.

Hightower played a pivotal role in the Patriots’ largest comeback victory

Many consider Super Bowl LI, one of the best Super Bowls, as the Patriots came back from a 25-point deficit against the Falcons. Although Tom Brady took home the Super Bowl MVP award, Hightower’s solid defense proved vital for the comeback.

No one can forget Hightower’s sack-fumble on the Falcons’ QB Matt Ryan in the fourth quarter, which eventually helped the Patriots win the game. From 2012 to 2019, Brady and Hightower won eight division titles, four AFC titles, along with 3 Super Bowl titles as well. The 2x Pro Bowler took a break from football in 2020. However, he came back in the 2021 season and had 64 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Then, he missed out on the whole 2022 season as well, as he announced his retirement.

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