Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from football before his 30th birthday earlier this year, and chose to walk away from the game of football with three Super Bowl rings and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame locked up after just nine seasons. On Tuesday, a vulnerable Gronkowski explained why he had to call it a career, but said a return to the field isn’t out of the question.
In a press conference to announce his partnership with a CBD company, Gronkowski said he could potentially return to football one day if he has the desire to play. Gronkowski says he’s currently pain-free and “feeling great,” but he also got emotional while opening up about the significant toll football was having on his body and mind. Gronkowski admitted that he “was not in a good place” at the end of his career, and had to step away to give himself a chance to recover.
“I want to be clear to my fans. I needed to recover. I was not in a good place. Football was bringing me down, and I didn’t like it. I was losing that joy in life. I really was, and I was fighting through it.”
Gronkowski recalled the after-effects of a devastating hit from the first quarter of Super Bowl LIII against the Rams, which left him with a severe thigh bruise.
Gronkowski said after the game that he could barely walk, and he revealed on Tuesday that he was forced to undergo several procedures to address significant internal bleeding.
