New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle Friday, a source confirmed to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. The recovery time is expected to be about 10 weeks.
Gronkowski suffered a high ankle sprain in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens. The second-year tight end played in Super Bowl XLVI, saying after the game, "I was good. I was 100 percent out there doing everything they asked me to do."
Despite Gronkowski's claim that he was 100 percent, he wasn't much of a factor in the game, catching just two passes for 26 yards.
Gronkowski also made waves in the days following the Super Bowl when video surfaced of him dancing shirtless at the team's postgame party.
Patriots president Jonathan Kraft, son of owner Robert Kraft, spoke Friday about the season, and Gronkowski in particular, on ESPN Boston Radio. He was asked about the tight end dancing at the party.
"I actually have only heard about it. I haven't seen the video," he said. "I was long gone from the party when that took place. The one thing I do know is the guy absolutely is 100 percent a passionate, passionate competitor when it comes to football. He loves football. He wants to win. He wants to get better. He doesn't like losing. ... He's an ultimate competitor. We're excited he's on our football team.
"The team did accomplish a lot this year, and unfortunately we fell just a little bit short of the ultimate goal. I do think he and the other players probably have different ways of both celebrating what we were able to achieve and then dealing with the disappointment of that night. I think it's hard to personalize how any individual would deal with that and then project it on someone else."
This was the second eyebrow-raising incident of the season for Gronkowski, who during the team's bye week was photographed bare-chested with adult film star Bibi Jones, who was wearing his No. 87 jersey in an image that went viral on Twitter. Kraft was emphatic that neither episode concerned him because it didn't affect what Gronkowski did on the field.
"He's a young single guy. I'm not sure that Rob ... I think he does everything, and then some, that he's asked to do as it relates to the locker room, the football field, the weight room. And he brings huge time, energy and passion to that.
"As 21- and 22-year-old guys grow up and mature, different things happen. He hasn't broken any laws, he doesn't do anything else. I think it's hard to place value judgments on things that are personally right for different people."