At 6’6″, 265 pounds, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski may literally be the most physically imposing, punishing player in the NFL today. Even as an offense player, Gronk is usually the only doling out the hits, and therefore the pain. Rarely does Gronk ever get tackled one-on-one, let alone get DROPPED like this. Leave it to Earl Thomas, who’s one of the two or three best safeties in the world, to give Gronk the hit of his professional career.
Via Pro Football Talk:
“Yeah, that was a big hit for sure; probably one of the hardest I’ve got hit in my career for sure,” Gronkowski said to reporters after the game. “[It was] by a good player; a good fast player who’s like a missile. It was a good, clean hit; nothing against it. I just took it and it just knocked the wind out of me a little bit, that’s all. If you’ve ever gotten the wind knocked out of you, you know what that feels like. Just down for about a minute or two, it’s a little tough to breath, but once it comes back, you’re good.”
https://twitter.com/uSTADIUM/status/797995195610632193
[h/t Uproxx]
