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Jonathan Kraft: Unanimous Decision To Release Gronkowski Statement

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots went against their normal practice last week when they released a statement clarifying tight end Rob Gronkowski's status.

Gronkowski suffered a knee injury late in last Sunday's loss to the Denver Broncos, and initially it was feared he would be lost for a large chunk of time. But shortly after the game was over, there were some very optimistic reports going around, with some saying he may even suit up against the Eagles the following week.

To set the record straight, the Patriots and Gronkowski family released a joint statement on Tuesday saying Gronk would be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. Bill Belichick didn't seem too enthused when he was asked about it on Wednesday, but Patriots team president Jonathan Kraft said it was a "unanimous" decision to release that statement.

"Everybody in the organization was completely on board doing it," Kraft told Marc Bertrand and Chris Gasper on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Patriots Preview prior to Sunday's game against Philadelphia. "I don't know if Bill likes talking about it when it's done, but it was completely unanimous and in sync with the team, player and organization."

Kraft said Belichick probably just "didn't want to talk about it" when he lashed out at an ESPN reporter at Gillette on Wednesday, but said the release was made to end the speculation about Gronkowski's return.

Listen to the full interview with Jonathan Kraft:

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