Rob Gronkowski shares why he went into brief retirement

Rob Gronkowski went through a brief retirement from the NFL before deciding to return this season. The 31-year-old tight end gave an interview, and he explained his reason for retiring before coming back.

Gronk spoke with ESPN’s Randy Moss for an interview that aired on “Monday Night Countdown” before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ game against the Los Angeles Rams and was asked about the decision.

“I never ever gave my body a break, like in my life,” Gronk said. “I just felt like your body needs time off. I didn’t know in my head if I was going to come back or not, and I felt like the right opportunity came.”

Gronk was constantly injured while with the Patriots. He entered the NFL with back issues and then suffered multiple broken arms, knee injuries, ankle injuries, hamstring issues and more back problems during his career. He contemplated retirement before the 2018 season but decided to play. He had bad body language that season and was often lugging his way around the field.

Gronk really needed the year off. And if the chance to reunite with Tom Brady for a fun new venture hadn’t arisen, he might have remained retired. He already had a very promising retirement gig too.