The fallout from the Patriots loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl 52 has already begun. Malcolm Butler was benched and said the team gave up on him. Now star TE Rob Gronkowski is questioning his football future. Sure seems like there was a lot of validity and good reporting in that Seth Wickersham story for ESPN, stating that all is not well in New England.
A football team is like any other workplace. Sometimes when you’re around the same people for so long, regardless of success, you start to get on each other’s nerves. The Pats are not immune. What’s great about them is they have been able to sustain it for so long. But it might just be time for everyone to move on to the next phase of their career or retire.
According to USA Today’s Henry McKenna, while Gronk didn’t say he was retiring, he did say he’ll spend the next few weeks contemplating his future. The guy has his championships and maybe he’s done getting beat up on the football field every week. He’s a popular person among a certain demographic and could have a long career doing Gronk party cruises, WWE appearances and a whole assortment of things in line with his brand.
Regardless of what happens with Gronk, it does seem like things are really about to change in New England.