NESN

Rob Gronkowski Admits Super Bowl Loss ‘Painful,’ Says Patriots Need to ‘Keep on Grinding’ Next Season

Rob Gronkowski nearly hauled in Tom Brady's Hail Mary attempt as time expired in Super Bowl XLVI. But it doesn't matter to the Patriots tight end.

Gronkowski said after the Patriots' 21-17 loss to the Giants that it doesn't matter how close he was to catching Brady's desperation heave because unless he actually caught it, the result of the game remains the same.

Gronkowski is just one of the Patriots players taking Sunday's heartbreaking loss hard. While he said he's proud of what the team accomplished this season, he also admitted that it's "painful" to come so close to Super Bowl glory, only to then fall in defeat. That's an interesting choice of words considering the ankle injury Gronkowski battled through the past two weeks.

The second-year pro said his banged-up ankle didn't impact him on Sunday, though, and he expects the Patriots to "keep on grinding" next season.

Check out the video above to hear more from Gronkowski.