Rob Gronkowski talked about CTE and the effects he noticed from playing football
"My head used to be thicker, like a centimeter of liquid in some spots."
Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski recently revealed that a big part of the reason he retired from football was that he was “not in a good place.”
In subsequent interviews, Gronkowski has given more detailed explanations of exactly what he meant. Speaking with NBC’s Phillip Mena, Gronkowski was asked about Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
“I’m aware of that,” Gronkowski said. “That’s why I took the action and got away from the game. I would not lie, I was walking around and my mood swings were totally up and down. I was aware of what was going on with my body and my mind. That’s why I had to walk away.”
Gronkowski remains upbeat about his post-football life. He explained how he’s actively fighting any possible brain-related issues from football.
“I’m doing exercises,” said Gronkowski. “I’m getting the right treatment. I’m looking for brain exercises. For example, when I’m home at my house, I have a 750-piece puzzle. I get treatment on my head.”
Still, the constant high-impact collisions that are inevitable in football, especially for a player who catches passes, already took a toll on the 30-year-old.
“No lie, I’ve felt my head,” Gronkowski explained. “I used to have liquid, [my head] used to be thick. My head used to be thicker, like a centimeter of liquid in some spots and I’d feel it and be like, ‘What the heck?’ You could put indents in my head.”
“But now finally I get the right treatments, doing the right things,” Gronkowski continued. “And it keeps your brain active. I truly believe I’m just starting where I’m at. If I already got to here and I was at damage, what if I keep doing it? I could keep going higher and higher and higher. It’s getting addictive in the best way it possibly can, and that’s why I truly believe what I went through, I went through all for a reason. That’s to make myself stronger in the end.”
Here’s the full interview:
https://twitter.com/NBCNewsNow/status/1166893229448413184?s=20
