With less than five minutes to go in the Patriots-Bills game Sunday afternoon, Rob Gronkowski took his frustrations out on CB Tre’Davious White. Tom Brady threw a rare interception that was picked off by White who then fell down on the sideline. The play was over. Gronk took it upon himself to deliver a hit to the CB, who was already down on the ground, that put his whole body weight into White’s head and neck.
Rob Gronkowski lost his cool. What a dirty play. pic.twitter.com/b2gFWp03yj
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) December 3, 2017
The play was extremely dangerous, and I for one, believe that Gronkowski should have been ejected from the game.
Gronk should be kicked out
— Mike Masala (@Mike_PerSources) December 3, 2017
Obviously, Gronk was upset at the officials for letting White hold him throughout the play that resulted in that interception. However, the actions that the tight end took were way over the line. He knows that. Here’s what he had to say after the game:
Gronk starts his postgame comments by apologizing to Tre'Davious White. @WGRZ @TheBillsMafia #Bills pic.twitter.com/ipLkGbpynR
— Heather Prusak (@haprusak) December 3, 2017
Now, the real questions start here.
Will Gronk Get Suspended?
In my opinion, Rob Gronkowski should not be suspended. He’s never done anything remotely close to this to warrant him as a “repeat-offender” or a “dirty” player. The only other blemish on his record on the field is the altercation during Super Bowl XLIX when he was involved in some pushing and shoving with Seahawks players after the kneel-down.
If you look at the situation with AJ Green and Jalen Ramsey a few weeks ago, they are similar. In the regard that Green had never done something like that before, and even though he was ejected, he wasn’t suspended.
What Will His Punishment Be?
I’m expecting the league to hand out a large fine this week. The NFL can’t allow this type of behavior to go unpunished. If this was the second or third time Gronkowski had been involved in a dirty play, then he would be suspended. I could see the league giving him a one-game suspension, but it wouldn’t make much sense to give Green nothing and suspend Gronk.
Is Gronk A Dirty Player?
No. Gronk’s a force on the field. He’s one of the most dominant players in the history of the game, and to me, he’s the best TE to ever play. He experiences a lot of the same problems that LeBron gets in the NBA. Rob is so much bigger than everybody else that it’s hard to see when he’s being held, and it’s difficult to see who’s embellishing contact against him (see the OPI called yesterday). So, no Gronk’s not dirty. The play itself, was.