Rob Gronkowski reveals 1 regret in NFL career with Patriots, Bucs

Rob Gronkowski may have enjoyed a successful NFL career with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but that doesn’t mean he has no regrets.

When asked what he would have done differently in his career, the former star tight end said he would have taken care of his body better.

“I would’ve started taking care of my body during the early days of my career,” Gronkowski told The Spun. “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. 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.”

This statement from Rob Gronkowski definitely hits hard when you remember the reason he initially retired. In his first retirement in 2019, at the age of 29, Gronk highlighted how injuries played a role in his decision.

Gronkowski detailed that after winning Super Bowl LIII with the Patriots that year, he could “barely walk” and that he was “in tears” while lying on his bed despite just winning another title. There was just too much pain his body, adding that he couldn’t sleep for more than 20 minutes a night for four weeks due to the injuries he sustained.

With that said, he opted to do what’s best for himself and called it a career. Although he returned to the game after just one year–joining his old pal Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers–he eventually opted to retire again. Now, it looks like he doesn’t have a plan to play again in the NFL.

Things might have been different had Gronk taken care of his body better, but in the end, he could only reflect from it. At the very least, the good thing is he is happy now and at peace with his decision to retire.