The New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski received a one-game suspension from NFL for his late hit on Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White. The incident happened in the fourth quarter of Patriots 23-3 win over the Bills. White was covering Gronkowski on a play and managed to intercept a pass while falling to the ground. With White still on the ground, Gronkowski hit him with an elbow. Gronkowski was penalized for unnecessary roughness while White suffered a concussion.
This was the first time Gronkowski was suspended since he entered the league in 2010. He appealed on the decision unsuccessfully and will miss the upcoming game against the Miami Dolphins. Gronkowski, however, did apologize to White for his actions.
“Just wanna apologize to Tre’Davious White. I don’t really believe in type of shots like that.” – said Gronkowski to the reporters after the game. “I mean, I feel like he was trying to push me a little bit and made the play. I just don’t understand why there wasn’t a flag. A couple times in the game. They are calling me for the craziest, craziest stuff ever and it’s just like, crazy. I mean, like what am I supposed to do? And then they don’t call that, I mean. It was just frustration and that’s what happened.“
Rob Gronkowski is currently leading the New England Patriots with 55 catches and seven receiving touchdowns. He also managed 849 receiving yards in 2017 season, which is the second-best among all Patriots’ players.
Tre’Davious White, on the other hand, was having a solid rookie campaign so far, managing 46 tackles and three interceptions in 12 games he played. He was drafted by the Bills with the 27th pick in the first round of 2017 NFL Draft. White is in concussion protocol after the hit and practiced on a limited basis on Wednesday.
