NFL
Gronkowski cleared
to play in Super Bowl
Union chief says ‘prepare for war’ over labor deal
New England Patriots tight end
Gronkowski participated fully in practice on Thursday. Defensive lineman
Gronk said he is “ready to roll” and has no limitations. He had been sidelined since taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jacksonville’s
The All-Pro tight end missed last year’s Super Bowl win over Atlanta after undergoing back surgery.
Gronkowski said he believes that the team doctors were just using the bye week to be as cautious with the injury as possible.
“We knew the whole time I was gonna be good to go,” he said. “I was progressing really good throughout the week. We just knew I’d be ready and we’ve been practicing like we always do.”
Gronkowski led the team in receiving during the regular season with 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns.
His return gives quarterback
Then he attacked.
The executive director of the NFL Players Association quickly said “no” Thursday when asked about the current 10-year collective bargaining agreement getting extended beyond the 2020 season.
Then Smith, re-elected last year, went on the offensive about the next CBA.
“We prepare for war,” he said. “If we are able to get a collective bargaining agreement done, great. All of these men went through a unilateral war declared on players in 2010-11.”
NFLPA President
“We want 99 percent of the revenues,” Winston joked before adding the structure of rookies’ contracts, health care and technical field issues as key elements for negotiations.
Shazier was released from the hospital on Thursday, nearly two months after suffering a spinal injury in a victory over Cincinnati. The Pro Bowl player underwent spine stabilization on Dec. 6 and while he was able to travel a bit, including visiting team practices and making appearances at Heinz Field for games, he returned to the hospital each evening.
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center says Shazier will transition to an outpatient therapy program.