A veteran teammate is giving him space.
The Tampa Bay Bucs are close to wrapping up mandatory minicamp where they then prepare for the long waiting period before they report back for training camp. Attendance has been good as new faces and familiar ones have come together on the practice fields at Advent Health Training Center.
But one face was obviously absent, and that is the face of tight end Rob Gronkowski.
There wasn’t much expectation that the veteran tight end would be at minicamp since he’s not under contract so he’d have to have had a deal signed prior. Fortunately, the team is reportedly “optimistic” about his return before training camp begins.
His Tampa Bay teammates hope that is the case as well. However, as running back Leonard Fournette recently stated when speaking to the media, he’s not pressing his friend on the matter.
I might text him probably two times out of the week. Just checking on him. Naw, I’m not going to hound him. He’s an older dude. I want him to take his time. I hope he comes back.
There’s obviously someone else that may be keeping even closer tabs on his good friend and may even know what his decision already is. After all, Gronkowski has stayed in town getting his usual haircuts at Danny’s Barbershop on Armenia and Columbus while also spending good quality time with said friend at the Yankees practice facility just south of Raymond James Stadium.
So like Leonard Fournette we’ll just continue to wait and see what the veteran’s official decision will be. And not hound the guy.