Rob Gronkowski Estimates He Suffered 'Nine Surgeries, 20 Concussions' Playing Football
Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said he suffered about 20 concussions during his time in the NFL.
In a recent interview with CBS News' Reena Ninan, Gronkowski was asked if he would ever let his future son play football. The three-time Super Bowl champion said he would only allow it after educating his son about what he went through during his nine years in the league.
Gronkowski added that he was able to recover from many of his injuries and estimated that he underwent nine surgeries and about 20 concussions.
"I truly believe that any injury that you receive is fixable," Gronkowski said. "I went through it. I had nine surgeries, probably had like 20 concussions in my life, no lie. I remember five blackout ones."
Gronkowski previously explained how he had a liter of blood removed from his quad after suffering from severe internal bleeding after Super Bowl LIII, getting emotional last month while describing how injuries influenced his decision to walk away from the NFL at 29 years old. The former Patriot also suffered a forearm fracture in 2012 and again in 2013, necessitating three more surgeries. He then suffered a concussion, torn ACL and torn MCL on the same play on Dec. 8, 2013.
The Arizona product retired from the NFL in March, ending his career as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. He has the fourth-most touchdowns of any tight end, finding the end zone 79 times in 115 games, and finished the 2018 season 12th among all active players in receiving yards.
Gronkowski entered the NFL as a second-round pick in 2010. He led the NFL with 17 touchdowns in 2011 and crossed the 1,000-yard mark in four seasons. He hauled in double-digit touchdowns in five seasons.
