Stephen A. Smith isn’t too thrilled with how Rob Gronkowski acted Sunday during the fourth quarter of the New England Patriots’ 23-3 win over the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field.
Gronkowski delivered an elbow to the head of Tre’Davious White after Tom Brady threw an interception, earning the Patriots tight end an unnecessary roughness penalty and sending the Buffalo Bills cornerback into the concussion protocol. It’s unclear whether Gronkowski will be suspended or fined — or both — but Smith made it clear Monday on ESPN’s “First Take” he believes the NFL needs to come down hard, even in spite of Gronk’s postgame apology.
“This should be, as far as I’m concerned, a minimum of two games, possibly three or four games,” Smith said. “He deserves to be suspended for multiple games for a hit like that.”
Check out Smith’s argument in the following video, which also features takes from former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb and fellow “First Take” pundit Max Kellerman.
The cheap shot cast a dark cloud over an otherwise impressive performance by Gronkowski, who finished with nine catches for 147 yards in New England’s victory.
