After spending the 2022 season away from football, former New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower has made it official: he is retiring from the NFL.
A former first-round draft pick by the Patriots out of the University of Alabama, Hightower published a farewell story in the Players Tribune to let the world know about his decision.
“Today, I am officially retiring from the NFL,” he wrote. “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.