Rumors Swirl Of A Rob Gronkowski Trade But Are Quickly Shot Down: 'Zero Truth'
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Friday has been a tense day for fans of the New England Patriots. A Twitter user and an unnamed person on Reddit sent the internet into a bit of a frenzy with rumors of some big news forthcoming. That anticipation was boosted by Barstool Sports' Jerry Thornton, who forecasted a "9.5 on the Richter Scale" level of breaking news. Barstool's Dave Portnoy sent it all into overdrive by speculating that Rob Gronkowski might be traded by the end of the day.
Considering the star power of Gronkowski, and considering the madness that has already taken place all offseason long, Twitter was like the Wild West, with everyone scrambling to find the latest news and with some poor souls falling victim to fake Adam Schefter accounts.
Alas, despite the hour of semi-panic and nervousness from Patriots fans who were aggressively refreshing their Twitter feeds, the hubbub appears to all be for naught.
First, Chris Gronkowski -- a blood relative of the man at the center of such speculation -- shut down the story.
NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran reported shortly thereafter that in the way of a Gronkowski trade, there would be no news coming.
Curran's colleague, Mike Giardi, reported the same thing.
There was more.
It would appear, at least for the day, as though Rob Gronkowski will not be traded by the New England Patriots.
Gronkowski, 29, was named to the NFL's All-Pro First Team last season for the fourth time of his career. He played in 14 games, catching 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in the regular season. He caught two touchdowns from Tom Brady in the Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the Eagles and recorded 16 receptions for 218 yards and three touchdowns in the postseason overall.
Since being drafted in the second round of the 2010 draft, Gronkowski has made 474 receptions for 7,179 yards and 76 receiving touchdowns in his regular-season career, and he has added 68 receptions for 972 yards and 12 touchdowns in his postseason career. He also has one regular-season touchdown that was ruled to be a rushing touchdown.
The tight end contemplated retirement in the offseason but ultimately decided to return to the football field.
