Within a span of two weeks, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has addressed the retirements of two of his best defensive players in franchise history.
Longtime safety Devin McCourty retired ahead of free agency, while Dont’a Hightower announced he was stepping away from football for good in an article for The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday.
For years, Hightower served as one of the key leaders for Belichick’s defense. So it must have been bittersweet for him to say goodbye to another former first-round draft pick.
“Dont’a’s blend of intelligence, positional versatility and physicality made him one of the rarest of players that I have ever coached,” Belichick’s statement read, via Patriots.com. “Very few players were capable of as much as Dont’a, who could win from multiple positions with power, athleticism and his mind.
“His skills were most evident in two of the all-time great plays in franchise history, which led directly to two Super Bowl championships, but date back to the start of his decorated college and NFL careers. As a rookie, it was clear that Dont’a was already a mature, highly-competitive player who could make an immediate impact, which he did in his first game and consistently over the course of a decade.”
Like McCourty, Hightower will end his career having only played for the team that drafted him. Together, the two defensive legends won three Super Bowls in the second-half of a Patriots run of dominance that lasted nearly 20 years.
There are countless number of plays to pull from as standout moments for Hightower, but he’s most remembered for his Super Bowl performances, including stopping running back Marshawn Lynch at the one-yard line at Super Bowl XLIX or the strip sack fumble on Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan at Super Bowl LI.
Few players rise to the challenge in the biggest moments as consistently as Hightower, and few ever will.
