Former New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has suffered numerous injuries throughout his NFL career. But none of them could be as deadly as the one he received from the Seahawks legend Earl Thomas. Gronk, appearing on the Games with Names show hosted by his Ex-Patriots teammate WR Julian Edelman, revisited that horror encounter. As posted by Seattle on Tap on X, when Julian said, “Earl Thomas was a f***ing Torpedo back then.”

Gronkowski replied to it by taking a deep breath that said, “Oh my gosh, man. He was a missile.” Referring to Earl Thomas’s playing style, he added, “Thomas, he ended my season when we won the Super Bowl; that was the year I got hurt and didn’t play in that Super Bowl.” Although the Patriots ended up winning Super Bowl LI, Rob was livid not to play his part in the team’s success, where he missed 8 games during the 2016 season and made the reserves against the Atlanta Falcons.

Citing the reason, Rob said, “It was because of Earl Thomas. Going up to seam I was looking at the ball, and then boom. I was running full speed the seam. He was running full speed at me. He had no fear at all.” Even Julian also added by saying, “He wasn’t a big guy either.” But to it, Rob replied, “No, not a big guy, but he was compact when he hit me. I actually ruptured my lungs, and then also he popped out the disc in my back, which is why I had to get back surgery that year.” 

Even though Rob ended up returning to the gridiron the following week against the Jets. Soon after, he had to go for back surgery, which ended his season early. Nonetheless, Rob is one of the many players whose NFL career has been marred by injuries. Football is a brutal game where players wreck into each other, thereby sending many of them to lifelong physical damage. Rob was fortunate enough to continue playing, having suffered gruesome injuries throughout his NFL career.

Take a look back at how Rob Gronkowski and other NFL players fought against injuries

Rob had a wonderful NFL career, to say the least. Using his speed, power, and big build, he pulled off dramatic catches and touchdowns that mesmerized the fans. His performances in the NFL brought him four Super Bowl titles and a five-time Pro Bowl selection, among numerous other records. However, looking at his injury history, Rob’s career wasn’t easy. From playing with an ankle sprain in the Super Bowl to several fractures throughout the body. Gronk had to come back from career-ending back surgeries, ACL tears, and recurring concussions.

Even former NFL linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski shared his accounts related to the roughness in the NFL. Having played seven seasons for the Seattle Seahawks, the LB said, “I always say you age in dog years as a player.” He reminisced about those days when he played high-intensity matches on Sunday. And the following Monday morning, he was unable to get out of bed. Kacyvenski, during his NFL career, suffered multiple concussions. To raise awareness of these issues, he, alongside other former NFL players, decided to donate their brains upon death to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy.

Talking about Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a category of brain damage that was found in 345 of 376 deceased former NFL players. Former NFL player Steelers center Mike Webster was the first one to get diagnosed with CTE in 2002. Soon after, he also decided to donate his brain to expand research on CTE.

Andrea Kremer, a Hall Of Fame NFL broadcaster, also recounted those hundreds of stories where players used to describe their NFL experience as “You just got in a car accident.” To which she added, “Now, you’re not just getting back into a car. You’re getting back in a car that’s going to have another accident.” This shows how the NFL players had to be physically and mentally strong to overcome their injuries and report to the next day’s training. Gronk and Kacyvenski are some examples of NFL players who suffered multiple back issues and concussions in their careers. Many others were not so lucky, like Ray Abruzzese, Philip Adams, and George Andrie , who ended up losing their lives after being diagnosed with CTE and other injuries.