New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski denied any tension existing between himself and the team over his return to football. Although the Pro Bowl tight end continues to practice with the team, he declined to give an exact date for when he'd play again, the Boston Herald reports.
The Herald reported on Sunday that Gronkowski and the Patriots are "at odds" over his return to football. Gronkowski, after undergoing back surgery and multiple arm procedures this offseason, doesn't feel ready to play in games; the Patriots believe he's healthy enough.
Gronkowski, however, on Wednesday denied any friction between him and the team.
"No ... not at all. Everything's great around here," Gronkowski said, according to The Herald. "I'm just going out to practice with the team. It's helpful every single week to get chemistry back down, to get the timing of football down. And being out of football, the first couple days out there, I can't lie, it was like, 'Wow, I felt like a rookie. The speed was so quick.'
"But everything's catching back up. Everything's going good. Everyone is doing fine. It's just a normal week working hard and getting better."
New England plays the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, a game Gronkowski isn't sure he will be ready for. Although Gronkowski admitted his health was improving each week, he wouldn't commit to a return date.
"When I'm ready, I'm ready. I mean, if it's this Sunday, next Sunday, or the Sunday after, it's just going to be day-by-day," he said. "So I really couldn't tell you when it's going to be. So it's kind of hard to answer that. I'm just progressing every day, working hard every day and feeling better every day.
"I'm going out to practice, and working as hard as I can, practicing with my teammates."
