TAMPA, Fla. — After Rob Gronkowski had to sit out of his highly-anticipated return to Foxborough on Sunday, his injuries appear to be worse than we originally thought.
The Buccaneers reported on Saturday that the tight end suffered an "injury to his ribs" during last week's game against the Los Angeles Rams.
But Gronk told Fox Sports' Jay Glazer that he actually has “four cracked ribs, one broken rib and a punctured lung."
He couldn't even travel to New England, putting a bit of a damper on the big matchup against Bill Belichick and the Patriots — which would've been Gronkowski's first trip to Gillette Stadium as a member of the visiting team.
Brady and the Bucs just barely came away with a win on Sunday, and they may have to get used to playing without Gronk for a little while longer. Fox Sports reports that he's expected to be out for several more weeks while his injuries heal.
Before Sunday, Gronkowski hadn't missed a game for the Bucs since joining the team in 2020 where he started in all 23 games in the 2020-21 season.
The veteran tight end is also the Buccaneers' current leader in touchdowns and points scored — with four TDs and 24 points.
