TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the National Football League for the second time on Tuesday, walking away from a partnership with quarterback icon Tom Brady that included four Super Bowl victories.
The 33-year-old future Hall-of-Famer, regarded by many as one of the best tight ends in history, retired for the first time in 2019 after helping the New England Patriots clinch their sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
After sitting out the 2019-2020 season, Gronkowski came out of retirement to be reunited with former Patriots team-mate Brady, and was a pivotal figure in helping Tampa Bay clinch the Super Bowl in the 2020-2021 campaign.
On Tuesday however Gronkowski said his second retirement was permanent.
“I want to thank the whole entire first class Buccaneers organization for an amazing ride, trusting me to come back to play and help build a championship team,” Gronkowski said in a statement on Instagram.
“I will now be going back into my retirement home, walking away from football again with my head held high knowing I gave it everything I had, good or bad, every time I stepped out on the field.
“From retirement, back to football and winning another championship and now back to chilling out, thank you to all.”
Brady, who formed a near-telepathic understanding with Gronkowski during their seasons together in New England and Tampa, was among the first to offer congratulations.
“Love you as a man, teammate and friend,” Brady wrote on Instagram. “One of a kind in every way.”
A larger-than-life presence, ‘Gronk’ was known for his effervescence and irreverence on and off the field.
Yet his light-hearted demeanor masked a fierce competitor whose size and athleticism made him virtually unplayable at his peak.
With the catching skills of a wide receiver and the physical size and power of an offensive lineman, Gronkowski was difficult to handle in either role the tight end spot required, befuddling rival defenders and putting him among the greatest to ever play the position.
Yet the physicality brought with it a laundry list of injuries and concussions, which included torn right knee ligaments, hamstring injuries, a fractured vertebrae, a bruised lung, a herniated disc and two forearm fractures.
That ref is a bit whistle happy. Being particularly harsh on KK I’d think.
@Jason Pierce: he is a joke the cork keeper should get a oscar for acting
@Tom Dowling: yellow was for throwing the hurl…
@IrishOwl: she threw the defenders hurl away. Not at someone. How is that foul play? I haven’t read the rule book so I’m open for correction.
@Jason Pierce: ref loves Cork, thats why
@Jason Pierce: apparently its there somewhere i believe. Sportsmanship and all that….
@Oisin Curry: oh that must be it… my bad ? Ffs
@IrishOwl: why was the goalie acting then the usual cork stuff
@IrishOwl: and penalty what was that for?
@Jamie Walsh: and about three or four other frees, he gave one for charging that was a joke
@IrishOwl: nothing about yellow for throwing a hurl away
@Tom Dowling: usual stuff like winning another All Ireland ? Ffs pipe down
@Anthony Davoren: thats that settled then. Anyway… who cares.. Cork won !
@IrishOwl: brilliant analysis, who cares? Handed an all Ireland ffs
@Jamie Walsh: handed an All Ireland ? Lol. Sure all Kilkennys wides had no bearing on the result.. go back to bed. The hatred for Cork is strong today.
@IrishOwl: I’m wide awake and hate to point the obvious but the amount of wides registered by a team has no bearing on scoreboard?! , but if one team scores when handed penalties and frees that have no place in a competitive match let alone an AI final well that might I’m thinking
Ref is woeful
Ref should be ashamed of himself
That ref should be ashamed of himself.
What women if only cork men hurlers had the same bottle
Up the Rebels. Well done!
A complete joke of a referee kilkenny were totally robbed, working hard all year to reach AI then cheated by an imbecile
Denise Gaule might just pip it. Sorry I mean Kilkenny of course
Heap of shite. *anny hurling
@Paulie T: anny hurling?