Yahoo Sports Rob Gronkowski says he touched a football three times during his retirement
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski didn’t think about football much when he was retired. After playing the game for 15 years straight, Gronkowski needed to get away from the sport.
How much was the 31-year-old Gronkowski able to distance himself from football? Gronkowski told the “Tiki and Tierney” show he only touched a ball two or three times during his retirement.
“I really hadn’t played any football when I decided to come back to football,” Gronkowski said. “I threw two times last year total. I touched the football two times total. Actually, three times total if you included the time I was on the show ‘Game On’ when we did the football competition.”
His commitment to staying away from the sport also extended into his workouts. Gronkowski said he didn’t do any football exercises when he was retired. Instead, he stayed active by playing other sports.
Gronkowski didn’t reveal any major details regarding his decision to join Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, but noted that his chemistry with Brady was a big factor, according to CBS Sports Radio.
“To gain chemistry with a quarterback is not an easy task. That’s time you got to put in. That’s a lot of work you got to put it. And we put in work for the last – before this year – nine years. I just kind of felt like it was a great situation to continue with Tom.”
It’s unclear how Gronkowski will perform after a year away from the game. He struggled with injuries and didn’t look like himself the last time he was on the field, but time off may have solved those issues.
It doesn’t hurt that Gronkowki is reunited with his usual quarterback.
More from Yahoo Sports:
