Dont’a Hightower Shares The Hardest Part of His Return to NFL

Dont’a Hightower is back with the New England Patriots and fans are looking forward to seeing him on the field again. The veteran linebacker will hit the field after a long break and he will have to overcome some obstacles on his way back. What’s the first thing that pops in his mind every time someone mentions his return?

The meetings. We all know that head coach Bill Belichick has his way of doing things. No days off, remember? Some players can’t really handle the pressure and all the things related to the Patriot Way. Some of them gave up too early because it was just too much for them to handle. Is Hightower one of them? Of course not. He is a winner but he will need extra effort to get back to the meetings.

“Getting back to these meetings,” the veteran said when asked about the biggest obstacle. “In all honesty, that’s probably the biggest takeaway from having a lot of liberation and kind of going about how I wanted to and then just a lot of meetings. Yeah, there’s no lie in that. It’s definitely just the meetings is the worst part of the whole coming back to football. Not camp, not running – just the meetings. Getting back used to that.”

Dont’a Hightower is happy to return to the game

Hightower was forced to miss time on the field because of the pandemic. Eight Patriots players decided to opt-out of the 2020 NFL season due to health concerns related to the coronavirus. COVID-19 change the game and most teams lost key players due to the same reason. Hightower missed an entire season and he will need more time to adjust to the system.

“I took a year off and no matter who much training you do or weightlifting or nutrition, it’s still a year off, it’s still a year away,” he said. “It’s still a year away from the physical aspect, but the mental aspect of it, too. I played a lot of football, but it’s just different actually being on the field and getting those reps, just like physical endurance is different. You can ride a bike and run sprints, but football shape in different. But I’m enjoying it and just trying to get better each week.”

The Patriots will need every talent on the field and Hightower joins the team at the right moment. Head coach Bill Belichick will be working with an excellent group of players in 2021.