Rob Gronkowski has been “limited in practice” for several weeks now, and debate has raged over virtually everything about this, all the way down to whether or not the optimum word in the aforementioned phrase is “limited” or “practice” (seriously, I saw people arguing over this on the T, and immediately joined in). Gronkowski’s continued recovery from injury has been the most interesting bit of injury news, even amid the ocean of injury-related developments over the past few weeks. This has included the unfortunate season-ending injuries to defensive stalwarts Vince Wilfork and now Jerod Mayo. As Gronkowski is once again practicing but apparently not playing with the Patriots this weekend, I think that means it’s time for another edition of “As the Gronk Turns.”
In case you missed it, here’s what happened on last week’s “As the Gronk Turns”
– Gronk was at one point supposed to play.
…And then, in a plot-twist that was in no way unoriginal after the previous three weeks, he didn’t play.
So, onto this week’s version:
– We start with a report from ESPN’s Ed Werder that Gronk not playing is causing resentment in the locker room.
– And Tom Brady denies Werder’s claim, in a way that sounds a lot like a standard media-smothering tactic from the Patriots.
– Gronk’s agent and one-time shark wrestler, Drew Rosenhaus, said that there is no way to know when Gronk will play. Clearly this is just a petty attempt on the part of the producers of “As the Gronk Turns” to justify a second season for the show.
– Speaking of agents, it’s also been charged that money is apparently a major motivation for Gronk in his decision to not play.
– Gronk’s mom got her opinion out there, and seems to have the most common sense of anyone on “As the Gronk Turns.”
– The Pats play the Jets this weekend, and New York is preparing as if Gronk is going to play.
– Perhaps because they’re just trying to mess with the Jets (or perfectly legitimate reasons), the Patriots are still saying that Gronk isn’t cleared to play yet, and that his status is unknown as of now.
That’s all for today. A sneak peek at next week: “Gronk might play, but then doesn’t.” Stay tuned for anymore developments on another episode of the NFL’s worst best recurring show, “As the Gronk Turns”.
