Rob Gronkowski Reveals Why He Walked Away From the NFL

There is a phrase that is often used to describe someone who is working way too hard but isn't [...]

By John Newby

There is a phrase that is often used to describe someone who is working way too hard but isn't taking the proper time to recover, often doing damage to their body and mental health. "He is burning the candle at both ends." This phrase has been used often throughout history, and it is the perfect description for the end of tight end Rob Gronkowski's career.

The former New England Patriots star sat down with comedian Kevin Hart and multiple other celebrities back in August as part of The Shop, which was created by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. During this discussion, which was aired on Sept. 3, Gronk revealed the true reason for why he retired from the NFL and what was the life-changing moment.

"It was about two years ago," Gronk said. "It was a game-changer in my life where I was trying to go out to the practices during summer, and I was getting smoked by every rookie. And I felt in order to do something bigger in life, in order to get to a higher stage – because you're winning the Super Bowl — I felt like I had to get away from the game and focus on my health."

Part of this process was adjusting the way that he spent every night and what he put in his body. Gronk has long been known as someone that likes to party, whether it was dancing around following the loss in Super Bowl XLVI or cracking beers during the Championship parade. Unfortunately, he couldn't maintain that level of lifestyle without suffering the consequences.

"I lived like the typical party life," Gronk continued. "I was eating f—ing s— every second, I was just trying to put on weight. I was living that life and at the same time, I was going out and playing f—ing football, running people over, getting the f— run over."

At a certain point, Gronk knew that this dual lifestyle was not healthy for him, and he made the difficult decision to walk away from the NFL and focus on his health. This move was met with surprise considering that he hadn't turned 30 yet, and multiple outsiders proclaimed that he would be back before the end of the 2019 season.

So far, Gronk doesn't anticipate a return to the gridiron, especially after dropping down to 245 pounds. Although that could change. He did tell NFL insider Ian Rapoport that it would take him a week to ramp up, but he could still go out and perform at a high level.

For now, however, Rob Gronkowski will simply enjoy his retirement as he tries to get back to full health and to a better mental place. After he achieves that goal, Gronk will have no shortage of options.

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