Retired New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski delivered an emotional press conference on Tuesday morning when he announced he would be partnering with a company, Abacus Inc., to advocate for the use of cannabidiol, or CBD oil, for pain relief in sports.
Gronk fielded questions from reporters about his retirement and pain management, and seemed to fight off tears twice. Gronkowski said he didn’t see himself returning to the NFL within the next month but kept the door open for any time period between three months and three years.
“I love all my fans. I love Patriots fans. I feel that love, but I want to be clear to my fans: I needed to recover. Football was bringing me down, and I didn’t like it,” Gronkowski told reporters in New York while beginning to cry. “I was losing the joy in life.”
Gronkowski said he is now pain-free and is physically capable of returning to the NFL but has some mental work to do before any potential return. He also said it’s possible that he never feels mentally ready to return to the NFL.
“Maybe down the road. I have to have that passion. I have to have the fire,” he said. “I’m not going to go out there and be beat … up. That’s not the way to live. That’s not the way to inspire other people. And I was noticing that.”
Gronk’s comments echo those of former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who retired from the NFL due to continued pain and mental fatigue. Gronk empathized with Luck by sharing a story about the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII win, in which Gronk suffered a leg contusion. He said he needed three procedures to drain 1,000 milliliters of blood from his thigh due to internal bleeding, what he said was “a hospital record.” Because of the pain, he could only sleep 20 minutes per night.
“It’s not normal,” Gronk said.
What Gronk made clear is that, for now, he’s focused on getting into business, particularly the CBD business. In the meantime, he’s going to consider returning to football — but nothing is for certain.
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