What Rob Gronkowski said at his first Super Bowl LII press conference
MINNEAPOLIS — Rob Gronkowski, now out of concussion protocol, spoke to the media Thursday during New England’s final team availability before Super Bowl LII. The Patriots tight end had missed the previous three opportunities in Minnesota because he was still in the protocol.
#Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski will be at the team’s media availability today, ready to speak to reporters, I’m told. That’s an indication he’s been cleared from concussion protocol.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 1, 2018
“It feels good,” Gronkowski told reporters, when asked how it feels to be cleared to play. “I mean, that was probably the plan the whole time. It’s part of the process. The plan was obviously to get cleared. I knew it was going to happen.”
Gronkowski entered the league’s concussion protocol immediately following a helmet-to-helmet hit during the AFC Championship Game. He returned to practice at Gillette Stadium Saturday and continued his participation while in Minneapolis. According to AFC pool reporter Nicki Jhabvala, Gronk was limited on Wednesday — though coach Bill Belichick noted he was not wearing a red non-contact jersey.
“I would say they were a little bit on the cautious side,” Gronkowski told reporters. “Everything went smooth.”
The Patriots have expressed continued optimism since Gronkowski went down with his head injury nearly two weeks ago. The tight end himself also seemed confident regarding his game status — telling reporters Tuesday night that he expected to play.
When asked how he felt about Gronk’s return, Belichick said, “Good, good. It’s good to have everybody back.”
Belichick would not confirm whether Gronkowski was out of concussion protocol and said that information would be available via the team’s injury report. The report listed the tight end as a full participant in Thursday’s practice.
Official: Gronk has passed the concussion protocol. All four players on the Patriots’ injury report were Full Participation today pic.twitter.com/k3SKHezsTP
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) February 1, 2018
Gronkowski said he did “everything he was asked” on Thursday and will be “ready to roll” come Sunday.
“It went good,” he said of practice. “We’ve been having a couple good practices this week. Just good to be out there with the boys and get the chemistry down. It was a good day.”
Watch Gronkowski’s full press conference below:
https://www.facebook.com/Boston25News/videos/10155691290188122/
