Rob Gronkowski gives simple answer to Super Bowl playing status: "Yes"

January 31, 2018 at 1:07PM
Rob Gronkowski and LaGarrette Blount appeared at the Mall of America on Tuesday.
Rob Gronkowski and LeGarrette Blount appeared at the Mall of America on Tuesday. (Brian Stensaas/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Rob Gronkowski lost a video game competition Tuesday night but gave the news every Patriots fan wanted to hear.

Gronkowski said "yes," he will play the Super Bowl on Sunday, as he hopes to be cleared from the NFL's concussion protocol on Wednesday.

Gronkowski suffered the concussion Jan. 21 in the AFC Championship Game win over Jacksonville but resumed practice with the Patriots last weekend.

The All-Pro tight end has been unavailable to the media since before the AFC title game, but he was at the Microsoft Store in the Mall of America for an Xbox competition. He played Madden '18 against Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount and lost 33-13 before about 200 fans and 100 media members.

"It's great to be a part of [the Super Bowl], and it's great to be out here and see Blount," Gronkowski said. "He was on the [Patriots] team for about a couple years; we became really close friends. … We had a blast tonight."

JOE CHRISTENSEN

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87)
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) walks off the field following an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. The Patriots won 27-24. (AP Photo/Don Wright) (Brian Stensaas — AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Gronkowski (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Gronk played a video game against LeGarrette Blount of the Eagles on Tuesday night. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Joe Christensen

Sports team leader

Joe Christensen, a Minnesota Star Tribune sports team leader, graduated from the University of Minnesota and spent 15 years covering Major League Baseball, including stops at the Riverside Press-Enterprise and Baltimore Sun. He joined the Minnesota Star Tribune in 2005 and spent four years covering Gophers football.

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