FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Rob Gronkowski’s season might be over.
The star Patriots tight end is having surgery for a herniated disk in his back, a person with knowledge of the details tells The Associated Press. The person spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the surgery has not yet been announced by the team. The surgery was first reported by the Buffalo News.
He’s likely to be out for eight weeks or more. The Super Bowl is scheduled for Houston on Feb. 5, should the Patriots get that far.
Gronkowski sat out practice Wednesday with what listed as a back injury. He was absent from practice again on Thursday.
The injury is believed to have occurred during the Patriots’ loss to the Seahawks on Nov. 13, in which Gronkowski said he received “probably one of the hardest I’ve got hit in my career” from safety Earl Thomas.