Yes they fucking are. Rob Gronkowski is in a pretty shitty situation. Besides being at the Super Bowl, you know, and having millions and millions of dollars and all the other horrible things that come with being the best tight end in football, Gronk has let it be known that he is not too sure how much longer his body and brain can last. So what do you think a majority of his questions are about? Do I really need to say it? And of course with it being the week before the Super Bowl, everyday is basically media day where they have to sit and answer pretty obvious questions about what it took to get there, how hard this year was opposed to the others, and blah blah blah.

Well of course, Gronk was again for probably the hundredth time in the past two months was asked about retirement to which he replied “yes, no, maybe so” playing the cards he was dealt like a champ.

Then a reporter asked a legitimate question about the grind of a NFL long season and the mental and physical toll it takes on players. To which Gronk responded:

The season’s a grind. It’s up and down. I’m not going to lie and sit here and say every week is the best,” Gronkowski said, via NBC Sports Boston. “Not at all. You go up, you go down. You can take some serious hits. To tell you the truth, just try and imagine getting hit all the time and trying to be where you want to be every day in life. It’s tough, it’s difficult. To take hits to the thigh, take hits to your head. Abusing your body isn’t what your brain wants. When your body is abused, it can bring down your mood. You’ve got to be able to deal with that, too, throughout the season. You gotta be able to deal with that in the games.”

Thank you to Profootballtalk for the quote.

Gronk getting a little spiritual on us. Gotta love it. Letting the world and every annoying ass reporter know that yes, football is a very physical sport, but also takes a toll on your mind. I’m no football expert, but I like to think I can understand other people’s points of views and perspectives decently enough to form an opinion. He’s comparing it to football, life that is, with getting hit physically and then it taking a toll on your mind, and he is right. That shit fucks you up. Like he said, just IMAGINE getting hit by another man running at you full speed, throwing his whole body at you, TRYING to do damage to you. Now multiply that by like 30-40 times depending on what role you have on the field, then going home, acting like you didn’t just take a beating. Living life everyday like that. It’s crazy to think about. Staying mentally all there when all you can think about is how much your body hurts and when the next hit will come.

It’s funny because we, us normal people, that don’t do athletics for a living complain about having to live our lives WITHOUT getting hit day by day by 6 foot 225 pound mammoths of a human and we still feel exhausted at the end of the day. Granted, football players have a luxurious life with nutritionists, if they choose to have one, traveling (which sucks), a lot of money and other great perks. But getting hit day after day as your job has got to get tiring.

Football is much more than brute against brute. Strength against strength. Coming from a guy who was once one of footballs more athletic big dudes, running around at 250 pounds, hurdling people, laying massive blocks AND catching 70-80 balls a season running through the middle. The sport of football has slowed Gronk down, physically AND mentally. It sucks to see it right before our eyes, but this could be Gronk’s last season of football and even scarier, his last game. Which would be tragic. But for Gronks sake, I would rather him be happy and in a better state of mind while he goes about life after football.

This Sunday, the Super Bowl starts at 6:30 with the New England Patriots against the Los Angles Rams. Hopefully this will not be Gronk’s last game but stay tuned because the Patriots have a chance to win to win their 6th Super Bowl during the Brady Belichick ERA. This should be a good one. Go Gronk. 69. Thank you.