Rob Gronkowski, the partying, prolific, and oft-injured New England Patriots tight end is headed for a fourth surgery on his broken left forearm, according to reports.
Gronkowski first broke his forearm on November 18th, in the fourth quarter of a laugher against the Indianapolis Colts that became solemn because of his injury. He had it operated on and returned to action in the playoffs, when he re-broke the forearm in the first quarter of the Patriots' second round win over the Houston Texans despite having a specially made cast on.
He had surgery once again in mid-January, but his recovery was complicated by a post-operation infection that hindered the injury's ability to heal properly. According to Yahoo! Sports, the doctors working on Gronkowski's arm need to replace a metal plate that was inserted to stabilize the bone, but that procedure had to be put off while her underwent antibiotic treatments to combat his infection.
Gronkowski is nearing completion of his antibiotic treatments, but if signs of his infection are still lingering, the entire plate-switching process could be backed up. Until his infection is cleared out, the plate can't be switched. If the infection is still present, then a fifth surgery could become necessary, although the organization is holding out hope that the infection will be gone.
Once all of that happens, the tight end will then begin a rehabilitation program that usually lasts 11 weeks, or nearly three months. That timetable puts his availability for training camp, the preseason, or even the regular season opener in jeopardy.
Gronkowski has missed time in two of his three NFL seasons, and is developing a reputation for fragility despite his massive stature and bruising style of play. When on the field, he has been a devastating weapon in Tom Brady's passing game. In three seasons, Gronkowski has scored 38 touchdowns and caught 187 passes for 2,663 yards.
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