Patriots Reporter Claims Team Tried To Nix Rob Gronkowski-TB12 Story

The Rob Gronkowski-New England Patriots story just keeps getting weirder.

The all-world tight end shocked many after Super Bowl LII by implying he might retire. Since then, reports linking Gronkowski both to acting and the WWE (what’s the difference?), as well as cryptic tweets from Gronk himself, have fueled speculation that the 28-year-old might walk away from the NFL.

NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran then reported Monday night that Gronkowski “didn’t enjoy himself” last season, and that he considered stepping away from the game during training camp.

The Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels responded to Curran’s report Tuesday, affirming Gronkowski’s angst last season while inserting some fascinating context about a story he wrote in January detailing Gronk’s adoption of Tom Brady’s workout/dietary regimens.

Here are Daniels’ tweets:

Make of that what you will.

If nothing else, Daniels’ tweets suggest that Brady’s wellness beliefs — and Guerrero’s pushing of said beliefs — really have become points of contention between Brady, head coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft, as ESPN reported in January.

Will this all eventually lead to the breakup of New England’s power trio (or quartet, if you include Gronkowski)? Only time will tell, but perhaps it’s time we take Lane Johnson’s description of the Patriots a bit more seriously.

About the Author

Dakota Randall

Plymouth State/Boston University product from Wolfeboro, NH, who now is based in Rhode Island. Have worked at NESN since 2016, covering the Patriots since 2021. Might chat your ear off about Disney World, Halo 2, and Lord of the Rings.