As Dont'a Hightower mulled over his decision to finally put football aside, he recalls taking his three Super Bowl rings and showing them to his young son, whom Hightower acknowledges will now never see him play football.
The ex-Patriots linebacker officially announced his retirement in a letter to The Players' Tribune Tuesday morning, thanking Patriots Nation and the franchise for which he played his entire NFL career.
In doing so, he also took readers inside his mind for arguably the two biggest moments of his career: his tackle of Marshawn Lynch to set up Malcolm Butler's game-sealing interception in Super Bowl XLIX and the Patriots' epic comeback against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
If not for Hightower, Lynch would've bulldozed into the end zone for what probably is a game-winning score, and the Patriots don't kickstart their second dynasty in 2014.
But the young linebacker took a leap of faith that paid off.
"When I saw Seattle line up in that I-form, I knew Beast Mode was getting it, and I knew they’d been gashing us with that strong-side lead all game," he explained. "I knew he was going to walk through a huge hole if I didn’t take a risk. It’s funny how things come full circle, because when I was at Alabama, Kirby Smart used to always tell us, 'Never ever go behind a block unless you’re sure you’re going to make a play.'
"Well, I wasn’t sure. But I figured we had nothing to lose. So I ripped up under Okung and shot my shot. All I saw was Marshawn’s two legs churning, and I just prayed to God that I could clip him up or something. I reached out ... and you already know what happened next."
Minutes later, Hightower and the Patriots were celebrating as Butler picked off Russell Wilson at the front of the end zone.
Then, two years later, the former 2021 first-round pick found himself drawing on inspiration from this future son, now two years old, as the Patriots were getting blown out against the Falcons.
"I’ll never forget when we were in the locker room at half-time. 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,' he said.
New England probably doesn't complete the greatest comeback in NFL history without Hightower's strip-sack of Matt Ryan in the fourth quarter.
The veteran linebacker gave it one more go with the Patriots in 2021 after taking the year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though he had his moments, the speed and burst of the old Hightower weren't there any longer, and the team didn't re-sign him for 2022.
But none of that diminishes the pivotal plays he made in a Patriots uniform nor the respect he carries among the next generation of defenders following in his footsteps.