Patriots: Dont’a Hightower helped fiancee give birth by trolling Falcons

Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower brought up the Super Bowl LI comeback over the Falcons to help his fiance give birth.

If there’s any silver living to Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower opting out of the 2020 season, it’s the amazing story behind the birth of his child, which was the two-time Pro Bowler’s primary rationalization for electing not to play.

Care to guess what moment in franchise history played an important role in the all-important delivery process? Only the greatest come-from-behind win in Super Bowl history, which is approximately three and a half years old.

With his fiancee, Moran Hart, in the 17th hour (!) of labor delivering their first child, Hightower felt it was time for a motivational message, so he brought up the Patriots’ impossible comeback over the Atlanta Falcons.

According to Hart, the Patriots star was chanting “28-3, 28-3” and “Never give up” to help her push through the pain.

“Dont’a is a motivator and always has been,” Hart told the Boston Globe. “28-3 is about what you can do as a team, and, in this case, it was the two of us as a team. He kind of renewed my spirit that he was in this with me, and if I wavered at all, he was here to pick me back up. He got me through it, for sure.”

Of course, 28-3 is a reference to the deficit the Patriots faced in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI before regrouping and rallying to win in overtime. Hightower played an important part in that comeback too, as his strip sack of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan early in the fourth quarter with New England trailing by 16 proved to be essential.

Hightower unfortunately won’t get to add a third Super Bowl ring with the Patriots this season, but it goes without saying that the entire fanbase respects his decision to opt out amid the global pandemic with his newborn at home.

You really can’t help but smile at this story, which only accentuates the notion that the Falcons will never live down that epic choke job.