28 January 2023 , 21:33
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NFL legend Rob Gronkowski revealed he wish he had taken better care of his body early in his career - and appears to have shut down any whispers of another comeback.
Gronkowski is currently enjoying his second stint of retirement after he walked away after the 2018 season, a year before Tom Brady left the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When Brady joined the Bucs in 2020, Gronkowski came out of retirement and signed with the Florida franchise where he spent two seasons - winning Super Bowl LV - before calling it quits.
After hauling in 55 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns during the 2021 season with the Bucs, Gronkowski retired following the playoff defeat to the Los Angeles Rams, who went on to win the Super Bowl. It brought to an end one of the finest careers in recent memory as one of the most dominant tight ends in league history.
In retirement, Gronkowski has certainly experienced plenty of different avenues, including sports broadcasting, movies, commercials and competing - and even winning a title - in WWE. His personality and infectious enthusiasm means the 33-year-old is enjoying life away from the NFL, although Gronkowski revealed the biggest regret of his iconic career.
“I would’ve started taking care of my body during the early days of my career,” Gronkowski told The Spun when asked about his biggest regret. “From when I was about 20 years old to 24 years old I kind of had that carefree attitude of being in the NFL, not taking care of your body, not getting proper sleep or nutrition.
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“If I could go back I would have started at a younger age of doing the right things - getting treatment right after the games, waiting two or three days (to resume working out). It feels like those things would prolong a career and prevent injuries in the long-term.”
Rob Gronkowski spent two seasons with Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning Super Bowl LV (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)During his Hall of Fame-calibre career, Gronkowski recorded four Super Bowl victories, four All-Pro nods, five Pro Bowls and is sixth in all-time receiving yards at tight end (9,286) and third in career touchdowns (92). The former tight end achieved over 1,000 yards receiving in four seasons of his career
He recently suggested ‘retirement is retirement’ and claimed he was enjoying being off the pitch - but speculation persists following Gronkowski’s habit of coming back. However, he appears to be retired for good this time around.
When asked if a return to the NFL is more likely than Brady finally deciding to retire, Gronk added: “I would say the more likely scenario is Tom Brady retiring.”