Rob Gronkowski talks surprise retirement, CBD partnership, Antonio Brown signing
Former New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski stops by 'Fox & Friends' to talk life off the field.
Three-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski went further to reveal the extent playing football had on his body, including detailing the number of concussions he potentially suffered during his career.
Gronkowski told CBS News in an interview Tuesday he suffered “probably, like, 20 concussions” in his life -- with five of those being “blackout ones” while he was playing football.
ROB GRONKOWSKI 'VERY INTRIGUED' ABOUT FOOTBALL NOW THAT HE'S WATCHING FROM SIDELINE
The former New England Patriots tight end, who played college football at Arizona, also told CBS News his experience wouldn't dissuade him from letting his children play football, but he would educate them about what he went through during his nine-year NFL career.
“I would let my son play football, but I would educate him on the game and educate him on what I went through, and I truly believe that any injury that you receive is fixable,” he said. “I went through and had nine surgeries. I probably had like 20 concussions in my life. I remember five blackout ones.”
While recent reports have raised the possibility of Gronkowski’s return to the gridiron, he said he would really have to “feel it” if he was going to play again.
ROB GRONKOWSKI REVEALS WHEN HE STARTED TO THINK ABOUT RETIRING FROM NFL
“That is a good question. A lot of people are like, 'Are you going to come back as a wide receiver?' I'm going to tell people that I'm going to be a safety or something — a 6'6' safety,” Gronkowski said. “But it is the same answer I had with everyone. I have to feel it to come back, too. I am in a good place right now.”
Since he retired, Gronkowski has revealed in short increments the effect football has had on his body.
Late last month, he told NBC News he had a “centimeter of liquid” in his head during points of his career and that he suffered from “mood swings,” which he said were caused by potential brain injuries he suffered on the field.
His comments come on the heels of the announcement he partnered with a CBD company to advocate for CBD use for pain relief.
During the announcement, he revealed he had suffered a severe quad injury against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. He said he could barely walk after the injury and slept for “five minutes” that night.
ROB GRONKOWSKI REVEALS DEVASTATING EFFECTS OF SUCCESSFUL NFL CAREER
Gronkowski said he couldn’t sleep for more than 20 minutes. He said two weeks after the Super Bowl he had to get 200 milliliters of blood drained from a leg. Then a week after that another 500 milliliters and then another 300 milters one more week later, for a total of 1 liter.
Meanwhile, he was recently called upon by former White House press secretary Sean Spicer to do the Cake Smash Challenge to draw awareness to pediatric cancer.
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Gronkowski retired from the NFL in March.