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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS tight end Rob Gronkowski was widely criticised around the NFL world for a late hit on Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White that the Bills called “dirty.”

In the fourth quarter, White intercepted a pass from Tom Brady. While laying face-down on the sideline, Gronkowski came up from behind White and dove onto him, sending his forearm and shoulder into the back of White’s head.

White was helped off the field by an assistant and was placed in the concussion protocol.

Here’s the hit:

After the game, Bills safety Micah Hyde called the hit dirty, saying he thought Gronkowski should have been ejected.

“That’s a dirty play, man,” Hyde said. “That’s not cool. It’s amazing to me that you don’t get ejected for something like that. It’s crazy. He obviously saw him on the ground. It’s like a wrestling move.”

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he was “not happy” about the play, saying such plays have no place in the NFL. Several other Bills players made similar sentiments.

While Patriots coach Bill Belichick after the game said he didn’t see much of the play and it wasn’t something he could control, cameras caught him telling McDermott immediately after the game that Gronkowski’s hit was “bull—-” while apologising.

Gronkowski also apologised after the game and said that he was frustrated by the officiating throughout the game.

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