NFL legend Rob Gronkowski has offered up a cryptic response to rumours he could end his retirement to play in Tom Brady 's farewell season.
Gronkowski walked away from the sport earlier in the year, following Brady into retirement, though the quarterback would reverse his decision shortly afterwards. While Brady may have returned, however, Gronkowski has no intention of doing the same - for now.
Speaking at an event in Las Vegas, the former tight end, widely regarded to be one of the best ever, insisted he's currently too busy with business commitments to return. “At this point, I am focused on business and starting a new chapter in my life,” said Gronkowski.
The former tight end continued, as he added: “My brothers and I have a lot going on with business opportunities. So it's onto new challenges.” But it's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that are facing new challenges, as their offensive line hasn't been the same since he left.
Brady's well known trusted option is no longer there, and the 45-year-old quarterback hasn't had the bail out option he once did, especially when chasing an important first down. They're averaging just 17 points per game, which is ranked 22nd in the league so far.
Despite that record, they have their defence to thank as they are still 2-1 for the season, losing to the Green Bay Packers 14-12 last week. But Gronkowski thinks they'll be just fine without him, as he said: “They have a good team. Tom is going to find a way to win no matter who he has out there. He has done it for years.”
And Gronkowski has even backed his former team-mate to fix things in time for the post-season, and even have a shot at winning an eighth Super Bowl crown. “Whenever Tom is on a team, you have a shot to win the Super Bowl,” he continued. “He is relentless. They may not be the favourites, but the goal is just to get through the season and play even better in the playoffs.”
Although Gronkowski has dismissed a return, he still feels as though he is in great shape, hinting that he could still play if he wanted to. “I’m always in good shape,” he claimed.
“It is who I am. I will always take care of my body. I like low impact, high intensity workouts. I use the Inertia Wave band a lot.”
The Brady and Gronkowski era had to end at some point, at for a brief moment that was this summer until the quarterback had a dramatic U-turn. Fortunately for NFL fans, Brady remains, although many are expecting that this will finally be his last season.
