New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower may not be playing football this year, but he certainly still has his hands full as a new father.
Back in July, Hightower made the decision to opt-out of the 2020 season in an effort to protect the health of his family and newborn son during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I do feel that it’s the best decision for my family at this time,” Hightower said in a statement over Instagram. “I’m so grateful for the support of my teammates and coaches as well, and I will try to continue to lead and help as much as I can.”
“Me and my fiancée are just more concerned with the health of our family than football, especially the new addition to our family”, Hightower also told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Grayson Dash was born on July 16th but only this past weekend did Hightower show the first photos publicly on his Instagram page.
Hightower wrote the following thank you message to his fans.
“Thanks for all the love and support we’ve received over the past month! I’m blessed and proud to say that me and @morganhart have added a wonderful addition to our family, Grayson Dash. #proudpoppa #babyboom #blessed ”
Check out how Hightower is spending his time away from football below.
Hightower joined Marcus Cannon, Patrick Chung, Brandon Bolden, Danny Vitale and offensive guard Najee Toran as the Patriots who elected to opt-out of the 2020 season.
This season would have been the final year of Hightower’s contract, but now it will move to the 2021 season.
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