Difference-makers in the NFL are getting harder and harder to come by. One of the few still in the league is Rob Gronkowski, who also happens to be one of the most polarizing players in the game. Every time he steps on the field he makes an impact. Now it looks like the New England Patriots will be without him for at least one game.
A punctured lung is serious business. It’s also another in a long line of injuries Gronk has suffered over the course of his career.
According to NFL.com, Gronkowski missed five plays on Sunday after taking a big hit from Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. Not a lot of people would get up from that hit but Gronkowski got up and played the rest of the game.
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Afterward, Gronk was surprisingly upbeat and didn’t seem any worse for wear when talking to the media.
“That was a big hit — probably one of the hardest I’ve got hit in my career, for sure, by a good, fast player who’s like a missile. It was a good, clean hit. Nothing against it. … It’s a little tough to breathe, but once it comes back, you’re good. He hit me fair and square. It’s football. You’re going to get laid out eventually.”
If he can go, Gronk is going to go. But as player safety continues to be monitored, we can ask the question if there shouldn’t be some kind of mandate that an injury like this requires more time off?