Getty Rob Gronkowski runs after making a catch against the Buffalo Bills.
Rob Gronwkowski was already a hated man with many Buffalo Bills fans, and his new revelation about the punishment he received for an infamous hit on Tre’Davious White in 2017 isn’t likely to change that.
Gronkowski, then a member of the New England Patriots, was flagged for unnecessary roughness for driving his elbow into the back of White’s neck after the Bills cornerback intercepted a Tom Brady pass and was lying face-down on the turf. Gronkowski was ultimately fined and suspended for one week, but the tight end now explains that it was actually a welcome punishment.
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Gronkowski Discusses the Infamous Play
Many Bills fans are still angry about the play, which took place in the final minutes of a 23-3 Patriots win. After White intercepted a pass, he fell to the ground and was touched by a Patriots defender to end the play. Seconds later, Gronkowski ran from behind White and jumped onto his back, hitting the Bills cornerback from behind and sending him into the concussion protocol.
Gronkowski is now opening up about the play for the documentary on Brady’s career, “Man In The Arena.” The tight end explained that he was actually happy to be suspended, saying he enjoyed getting a mandatory break from football.
“I lost a game check, it was about $300,000,” Gronkowski said, via CBS Boston. “I didn’t care one bit. I was just glad I had a week off from football because I needed it.”
Gronk says in the latest Man In The Arena that he was happy when he was suspended for a week after the Tre’Davious White hit in 2017.
“I lost a game check, it was about 300,000 dollars. I didn’t care one bit. I was just glad I had a week off from football because I needed it.”
Gronkowski said that while the Patriots would ultimately reach the Super Bowl later that season, it had been a very difficult time for both him and his teammates.
“There was a lot of guys, including myself, that just weren’t really having a good time,” he said. “We would just show up to show up, go out to practice. I mean we did what we needed to do, we were winning games still. It definitely was taking a toll on me.”
Anger Lingers Over Gronk’s Hit
For Bills fans — many of whom already disliked Gronkowski before the hit for his tendency to roast Buffalo’s defenses twice a year — the anger over the play had not subsided. When Gronkowski fondly recalled his upbringing in suburban Buffalo last month, saying how he and his friends would pretend to be Bills players when they played football together, some fans reacted in anger.
In the days after the hit, White said that the play could have ended his career and put his long-term health at serious risk.
“My life is way more important than football. I’ve got a son to raise, man,” White said, via WKBW in Buffalo. “I’m down there with back turned, head to the ground, and somebody sneakin’ me. I mean, I could have broke my neck. It could have paralyzed me. Nobody thinks about that, they think about football. At the end of the day, if football ends today or tomorrow, I’ll be fine as long as I’m able to walk, and raise my son and do the things that I want to do.”
White was ultimately able to clear the league’s concussion protocol before the next game, and said later that season that he put the hit behind him. Many Bills don’t seem to share the sentiment.
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