Patriots Super Bowl Hero Confirms Retirement: ‘I’m Totally At Peace’

Dont’a Hightower is retiring! The New England Patriots won a lot of games with his help and the Super Bowl hero has just confirmed his retirement.

Hightower is grateful for everything he learned during his time with the Patriots. He shared this decision with his fans in a piece for The Player’s Tribune. Hightower also provided some details about the Patriots Way and his experience with the team. In his 100 games with the Patriots, Hightower delivered 569 total tackles and 27 sacks. He was named a Pro Bowl twice, too.

“People always ask what makes the Patriots culture so different. Easy answer: it was about professionalism, period,” Hightower said. “You knew that you had to show up every single day — not just physically but more so mentally. 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 Bill. Luckily, I knew a thing or two about that from my time at Alabama under Coach 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 missed the entire 2022 season and his decision to retire is official.

Patriots Super Bowl Hero announces retirement after winning three rings

The Patriots legend won three rings with the team. He had a key role in each of these Super Bowls, including the win over Matt Ryan and his team in Super Bowl LI.

“I’ll never forget when we were in the locker room at half-time,” Hightower said. “We’re down 21–3, so some guys are quiet, and some guys are doing the rah-rah stuff. I sat there and for some reason thought, “Man, I don’t even have a son yet. But one day, he’s going to watch the tape of this game, and he’s gonna know one thing for sure. His dad never f***ing quit.”

“You already know the rest,” he added. “And I’ll never get tired of inscribing “The Strip Sack” on anything I sign.”

Hightower is proud of his NFL career. He did a really good job and his dreams come true! The Patriots helped him live his dream and Hightower did his best to meet their expectations.

“Sometimes it’s still unreal to think about…. I am a three-time Super Bowl champion,” Hightower said. “Pretty good for a kid from Lewisburg, Tennessee. I appreciate everyone who helped me make this dream come true. But I especially want to thank my mom. None of this happens without her. Now that I got my own 40-pound two-year-old running around the house like a little wrecking ball, I don’t know how you held it down for us all by yourself.

“I just want to say thank you for helping me live my dream.”