Sports

Gronk Retirement Speculation Heats Up: ‘He Didn’t Enjoy Himself In 2017’

(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

Jena Greene Reporter
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is one of the most recognizable players in the NFL. It doesn’t matter if you like the Pats or if you even own a television to watch football, odds are, you know about Gronk.

But after the Patriots’ shocking loss against the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, speculation that Gronk, Brady, and even Belichick could retire ramped up drastically. And while the rumors about Brady and Belichick have settled down for the time being, the Gronk rumors seem to be here to stay.

That’s because NBC’s Tom E. Curran reported this week on Boston Sports Tonight that Gronk was not happy during last season’s training camp. He stated the following:

He didn’t enjoy himself in 2017. He did not have a good time, despite the fact that his body was in a better situation than its been in a long time and despite the fact that he’s one of the most dominant players at any skill position. The atmosphere in New England is starting to wear on him physically and mentally…

He seriously considered stepping away from the game in training camp. He had kind of had it. At that point his body wasn’t responding. He wanted to train a certain way. The team didn’t necessarily want him to train the way he wanted to train. They were at loggerheads. He was pissed.

This adds to the growing speculation that Gronk has considered leaving the NFL after the crushing 2018 Super Bowl loss. He suffered a pretty brutal concussion last season and rumblings about him potentially joining the WWE surfaced shortly after the season concluded. He’s also sent off a string of tweets that might have some subliminal meaning related to his next plan.

It’s important to note that this is all speculation and nothing has officially been confirmed about Gronk’s future. For all we know, he could have a few more successful seasons ahead of him. But the public scrutiny is mounting and rumors fly every day. It would be pretty difficult to keep this pace up for a few more months without somebody spilling the beans.

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