Appeal to happen quickly
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski should find out quickly whether he’ll miss a game thanks to his dirty hit against the Buffalo Bills.
Gronkowski will appeal the one-game suspension he was handed yesterday for throwing a forearm into the back of Tre’Davious White’s head Sunday in the fourth quarter of the Patriots’ 23-3 victory at New Era Field. White was lying out of bounds in a defenseless position when Gronkowski ran and dove into him, which drew a personal-foul penalty. White was placed in the concussion protocol.
Gronkowski apologized after the game, saying his actions stemmed from frustration over what he called the lack of consistency from the officiating crew. While appealing, Gronk surely will argue to the league that this was a rare mistake in the heat of the moment. The appeal will be heard by either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, the officers who were jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA for such disciplinary decisions.
For the appeal process, there is precedent for the NFL to hear the argument by today and rule by Thursday, so Gronkowski and the Patriots should have a resolution soon. The Patriots’ next game is Monday night in Miami, so they have an extra day to prepare for either result. While Gronk’s suspension is in place, he can’t report to Gillette Stadium to be with the team. The Patriots will have an extra roster spot in the meantime.
“It’s an emotional game, and the emotions got the best of Rob. I’m disappointed that he won’t be out there with us,” Tom Brady said last night in his weekly interview on Westwood One Radio. “I support Rob. I love Rob. He’s been such a great supporter of mine. He knows I’m always here for him.”
Bill Belichick had little to say regarding Gronkowski’s suspension.
“No, that’s (the NFL’s) announcement,” Belichick said on WEEI as the league issued its ruling. “A lot of times these get appealed and whether it does or doesn’t, I don’t know, but whatever point it’s finalized, it’s finalized, and that’s what it will be.”
NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan ruled on the suspension.
“Your actions were not incidental, could have been avoided and placed the opposing player at risk of serious injury,” Runyan wrote in a letter to Gronkowski. “The Competition Committee has clearly expressed its goal of ‘eliminating flagrant hits that have no place in our game.’ Those hits include the play you were involved in yesterday.”
If Gronkowski serves the suspension, it’ll be an expensive violation. He’ll lose a $250,000 game check and $31,250 for his per-game roster bonus.
It could also impact his ability to reaching the top tier of his incentives this season. Gronk hit the first rung of that Sunday, earning $1.75 million by surpassing 800 receiving yards (849 total). He’ll earn another $2 million if he totals 151 more receiving yards this season. But hitting the benchmarks necessary to reach the full amount ($5.75 million) would be unlikely.