New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower got his second Pro Bowl nod of his career with 2019, and he seemed a little surprised.
He’s been a crucial member of the teams’ defense, which is one of the league’s best. But he hasn’t been filling up the stat sheet, with 60 tackles, four sacks, three deflections and a fumble recovered for a touchdown.
“It’s a huge honor, man,” Hightower told reporters Wednesday, via WEEI’s Ryan Hannable. “I definitely was not planning on that this year. I definitely have, obviously, bigger goals ahead, but I appreciate my teammates, all the fans, everybody that voted, colleagues and all that good stuff. But hopefully, we’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
New England has the Buffalo Bills on Saturday in a game which could wrap up their divisional race. A Patriots’ win would clinch the AFC East, which would go a long way in helping New England in their efforts to win another Super Bowl.
“I’m blessed, man,” Hightower said. “And that’s first and foremost. I’m blessed. But me seeking out gratification from other people, people that don’t necessarily see me work each and every day — which, I mean, that means a lot to me for those people, fans and everybody to see the work that I put in each and every day — but that’s not something that I wrote down, like, ‘Pro Bowl.’ That’s not something that’s important to me. I appreciate it. I definitely do. I can’t say that enough. But I definitely have bigger goals.”
