ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the news, which was confirmed a short time later by our friend and colleague from Comcast SportsNet New England, Mike Giardi, who added that doctors would have a better idea of the timetable from Gronk's return once they were able to get a closer look at the wound.
When Gronkowski was seen leaving the field with about four minutes left in Sunday's 59-24 win over the Colts, some of us in the media raised our eyebrows. Those fears were heightened when, in the post-game locker room, Gronk — normally one of the reliable talkers after any game — was nowhere to be found. He locker was empty of street clothes when the media was allowed in for player interviews.
An initial report by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport was the first news of Gronk's injury. Speculation among media ensued, with many suggesting that Gronkowski could miss four to six weeks. Others noted that former Patriots linebackers Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau sustained similar injuries and were gone for three weeks, in Vrabel's case, and the remainder of the season in Seau's (he, too, sustained his break in November).
Schefter's report suggested that Gronk's injury/surgery would not be season-ending, but it's possible it could be regular-season-ending, in which case we wouldn't see Gronk back in uniform until the playoffs in January. Again, at this early stage, we have little more than speculation and a few reliable nuggets of information on which to assess the situation.
