Rob Gronkowski is known for enjoying the night life when he is not in the midst of a season with the New England Patriots. The superstar tight end is thought of as a beast on and off the field, and many times, people do not give him credit for thinking about the consequences of his actions.
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During a recent interview, Gronk opened up a bit on the topic of player safety, specifiically as it relates to concussions. Multiple NFL and college players have quit the game in recent weeks and cited long-term health concerns as their primary motive for doing so. According to Bleacher Report, Gronk is not worried about the long-term effects the game could have on his health right now; he is just focused on continuing to be able to play.
"Uh, so if we're sitting here and I had choose [sic] would I want a concussion right now or my knee blown out, I'm going to say a concussion. Why would I want to sit there for eight months and not do anything, when with a concussion I'll just wake up and I'll be ready to go again."
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Gronk is not the only player to express this view. As the NFL has become more active in battling the long-term health issues that its players face (its motives for doing so notwithstanding), more and more rules are put in place that discourage people from targeting players' heads and the like. However, the emphasis on avoiding contact up high has caused more defenders to target the legs of offensive players, and some think that is causing more serious leg injuries.
From the standpoint of a player, Gronk's view makes sense. If a player is not concerned about his long-term health or developing CTE, then a concussion is not nearly as serious of an injury as a torn ACL or achilles. Players can return from most concussions in a matter of weeks, whereas one serious leg injury can sap a player's athleticism and end his career. The wisdom of such a worldview is certainly worth debating, but the fact is that many players agree with Gronkowski.
Gronk may have taken his view a little far when he seemed to compare a concussion to blacking out after a night of drinking. He admitted that he was not worried about remembering things later in life, adding, "that happens all the time. I don't even know how I got to my hotel last night."
This is not the first time Gronk expressed these thoughts. He made similar comments last year when he was rehabbing a torn ACL.
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