There’s really no excuse for the cheap shot Rob Gronkowski delivered on Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White on Sunday. But at the very least, Tom Brady can understand what sparked the New England Patriots tight end’s anger.
During his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “Kirk & Callahan,” Brady was asked about the late hit that could earn Gronkowski a fine or even a suspension and what he thought of Gronk venting his frustration with the officials after the Patriots’ 23-3 win.
“I think for him it is frustrating,” Brady said. “He’s 270 pounds, so when they put a 190-pound player on him, any time there’s any contact just by inertia, the other defender is going to move. You basically limit it to a non-contact play and it’s just try to out-quick someone, which obviously those guys are a lot quicker.
“Gronk tries to get as close as he can to use his size, but the refs, they throw a lot of flags on him. He’s tried to change his style of play a little bit, but I think he obviously gets grabbed and held all day long. I’d say it is very frustrating for him to get these pass interference calls and he’s getting held the whole game and he doesn’t get a call. I can see why he’s very frustrated. It’s frustrating for everybody.”
Again: That frustration doesn’t justify pile-driving your elbow into the back of someone’s head. But Brady hopes the league shows Gronk leniency as far as a suspension is concerned.
“I hope not,” Brady said about the chance of Gronkowski being suspended. “I certainly hope not. Yeah, I hope not.”
Gronkowski set season highs in both receptions (nine) and receiving yards (147) Sunday, so it’s pretty obvious why Brady wants his tight end on the field for New England’s Week 14 clash against the Miami Dolphins.
