AP Photo/Mark LoMoglio
Future Hall of Fame tight end Rob
Gronkowski reiterated he’s walked away from the NFL for the final
time.
“It was my decision to stop. It was
definitely time. It just felt right,” Gronkowski told ESPN’s Jenna
Laine in an interview released Wednesday.
The five-time Pro Bowl selection, who
captured four Super Bowl titles alongside quarterback Tom Brady with
the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, isn’t a fan of the
term retirement at the age of 33, though.
“I’m not like really retired,” Gronkowski said. “It’s just from the game of football. … It’s not
from life. … When people start retiring, they start dying.”
The biggest question since Gronkowski
confirmed he was stepping away from football for the second time—he previously sat out the 2019 season—was whether he’d remain
steadfast in his decision if Brady needed some help in Tampa Bay
later in the year.
Gronk confirmed to Laine he’s never
going to suit back up, even under that scenario.
“Obviously I’ll answer [the call].
It’s the greatest of all time calling me. We have a great
relationship, on and off the field,” he said. “We’re friends. …
But I wouldn’t go back to football. I’m all set. I’m enjoying what
I’m doing, and I’m enjoying trying to find what I really, really want
to do next.”
If Gronkowski is done for good, he’ll
finish his NFL career with 621 catches for 9,286 yards and 92
touchdowns in 143 regular-season games. He added 98 receptions for
1,389 yards and 15 scores across 22 postseason contests.
He was one of five tight ends selected
to the league’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019 alongside
Mike Ditka, Tony Gonzalez, John Mackey and Kellen Winslow Sr.
“I feel accomplished with my career,
and, actually, it went way better than I ever thought it could have,” Gronkowski told Laine.
The next stop on Gronk’s football journey will
be his Hall of Fame induction after the five-year waiting period following his retirement concludes.
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