There was some unusual candor coming out of the New England Patriots locker room Sunday night.
Hours after a report surfaced stating Rob Gronkowski threatened to retire so as to nix a trade to the Detroit Lions, the Pats tight end actually confirmed the said threat took place. Making such direct comments are exceedingly rare from the Patriots, especially on something as sensitive as New England trying to trade its star tight end.
During an appearance Monday on WEEI’s “Dale and Keefe,” former Patriot Rob Ninkovich took a stab at why Gronkowski was so straightforward.
“I think they asked him a question and it caught him off guard,” Ninkovich said. “After the fact he probably thought, ‘Dang, I shouldn’t have said that.
“At the end of the day it is a business and we are just numbers,” Ninkovich added. “Everyone in the game knows that … (Gronkowski) is the best tight end and you hope it doesn’t affect him mentally. And knowing Rob it doesn’t.”
The question came right after the Patriots’ ugly 26-10 loss to the Lions, so it wouldn’t be totally surprising if a proposed trade from months ago wasn’t on the front of his mind.
