Patriots Suffer Big Loss: Gronkowski Will Retire

Rob Gronkowski caused me to fall in love with football and in specificity, of course, the Pats. It's been a lush affair of the heart... mine... and I shall deeply miss the presence of this delightful man. His stats are amazing, his stature as an excellent human being even more spectacular. Will miss you Gronk. .

Pats fan, but I was turned off Gronk by a flagrant attack to the head of a Bills player, out of bounds, in 2017. He was suspended for one game; he should have been arrested. I won't miss him.

Sad to see him leave the game because it was terrific watching him play. He is one of the truly great tight ends. Now the comedy...... Gronk continued: I always wondered and feared retirement. But Mr. Kraft has been an inspiration. I look forward to many a spa day in the weeks, months, and years to come.

Jeez, I love Gronk on so many levels. His absolute dominance on the field, those huge, sure mits, once they caught the ball, the joy with which he tackled every day and every game, and , personally, he always made me feel stronger (he was only 29 but had 9 surgeries. Heck, I didn't have nearly as many). I hope he hangs onto that exuberance whatever he does.

Hail to a guy who repeatedly condoned excessive consumption of alcohol to a nation of youngsters hanging on his every word. No one ever made impending brain damage look like so much fun!

Well, he retired from the Patriots anyway. Predict his return in 2020. Just like Riggo, he'll be "bored, broke and back". Hopefully with an AFC team and I'm guessing Gruden will start calling in October, if he waits that long.

Gronk is an all-time great at the TE position. His abilities changed position, and his "silliness" brought a boyish enthusiasm to the business of professional football. Mr Hoffman and Mr Belson should be ashamed at the overall snarky undercurrent of their article. They are undoubtedly a pair of Jets fans.

Gronk- Thanks for all your contributions to our dynasty! You've joined the elite group in Boston who will never have to buy their own drinks/dinner out on the town. Go enjoy your next chapter. Go Pats!

Rob was a big goof with tremendous talent and always came through in the clutch. That's why New England loved him and the NYT had a big article. Had he been a prima donna with similar talents, we'd all be talking about draft picks and trades, not the about the unique person he is. Thank you Robert. You went out on top.

Gronk will be remembered for his dominant final game and his amazing blocking abilities. But we also don’t want to forget his being bamboozled by Kenyan Drake a few weeks earlier, a classic silliness. At the beginning of the Miami Miracle he was stationed at the fifteen yard line. One of the color announcers rhetorically asked what he was doing there: “He couldn’t tackle anybody.” Boy oh boy, was he right.

"87" is a seller. Gronkowski has enough exposure to sales and advertising to make his retirement quite lucrative

Growing up in New England and watching the Boston Patriots with my Dad was great!, but I wish he'd been alive to see you play, Gronk. You put the fun back in football. I'm a real fan, but I'm glad you're not continuing to play through injuries. Watching the Pats closely, I know how hard they work and how they are disciplined in every aspect of the game. Many people seem to resent the Pats, but I know it's not vanity or elitism, but good ol' team ethic that got you to multiple SB rings. I appreciate what a great team player you've been, every catch, every block, every td! Unlike some players, for whom End Zone celebrations are all about me, you spiked the ball and it was a party: everyone was invited! Thanks!

Thanks, Gronk, for putting both my fun-loving & football-loving selves together, leaning over my knees in anticipation, whenever you were on the field, playing the game. Best!

Rob Gronkowski was a joy to watch - that happy, overgrown kid who loved to compete, excelled on the field and always maintained a sense of goofy joy that endeared him to Patriots fans everywhere. And he showed his wisdom in getting out of the game (hopefully) without too much lasting damage. Good on you, Gronk!

Finally! Gronkowski should have been retired in 2013 when he failed to recover from his arm injury. Instead he was allowed to wear a massive arm brace that, in addition to protecting an injury that never went away, gave him a player advantage against defenders. You would never see that leniency for an injured defensive tackle. The message after one or two seasons is "Sorry, bye-bye." Meanwhile Gronkowski gets 6 year preferred disability status from the NFL. Good thing he retired when he did. Bob Kraft isn't going to have as much influence around the league after getting charged with soliciting prostitution. He was wise to take an out when he did. If only we could get rid of Brady and Belichick now too. They're worse than Gronkowski.

All time great. Let’s hope we don’t hear about CTE in the near future. Seems like a poster boy for it unfortunately

I can't stand Gronkowski or any other New England player (life-long Jets fan, so there!). That out of the way, I think this is the wisest decision I've seen in a very long time. This young man has probably added 25 years to his life, as well as preserved the quality of that life. The icing on the cake is that he had the discipline to live off his endorsements and left his salary untouched. I wish him the best in retirement; now if only we can get Brady to retire too . . .

A very wise move that will hopefully enable him to live a long and fruitful and (hopefully) cognitively unimpaired life. The maturity, self-knowledge and discipline to make such a decision is rare thing indeed.

Most people talk about working hard and partying hard, but Gronk lived it. And did we ever seen Gronk without a smile on his face? Whether he was fresh off back surgery or celebrating another Super Bowl victory, he showed us how to appreciate what you have and keep a positive attitude. Us fans in New England will miss him every Sunday and the days in between. There will only ever be one Gronk and we were lucky to have been able to watch him. Best of luck to you in the future big guy! And thank you for the memories.

As a Jet fan I did not like to see him catch and run because he was punishing but that said I liked his style of play and wish we had him. I'm sure he will do well in his after football life and hope he doesn't have medical issues. You were fun to watch Gronk and I always had respect for your game and attitude.

With Gronk's retirement, it's criminal that the Patriots did not defeat the Eagles in Super Bowl LII because, had they done so, with the Patriots victory in Super Bowl LIII, they would be the winningest franchise in Super Bowl history. Gronk's retirement puts a serious damper on the Patriots winning another Super Bowl in the Brady-Belichick Era.

I love Gronk, but he should take some English grammar courses. He was a delight to have in New England and we will miss him, but he is doing what is best for him and I admire him for that.

What is wrong with the Jets? Why didn’t they sign Gronkowski? The Jets definitely and desperately need new management. They need people that know what they are doing. I hope Ron Gronkowski succeeds in his next career at as high a level as he did in football.