Surgery sidelines Gronk
Rob Gronkowski’s season is likely over.
The New England Patriots tight end was scheduled to have surgery Friday for a herniated disk in his lower back, the team said in a statement Thursday night.
The team said it doesn’t expect Gronkowski to be able to return this season, but will await the results of the surgery before making a final determination.
The Patriots said Gronkowski sustained a hit to the chest Nov. 13 against Seattle that resulted in a pulmonary contusion to his lung. He received medical clearance to return last week against the New York Jets and experienced significant back and leg pain.
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Quarterback Jay Cutler will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, the latest blow in a lost season for the Chicago Bears. “I talked to him earlier today. He’s in good spirits,” Coach John Fox said. “It wasn’t like it was never going to be an option. You try to avoid it, especially for a quarterback on your throwing shoulder. But he talked to many capable doctors, like he should. So that’s been the determination at this point.” Matt Barkley probably will make his second consecutive start when the Bears host the 49ers on Sunday . ... NFL executive Troy Vincent said that he expects the league to hire as many as 17 full-time officials for the start of next season. The additions would increase the size of officiating crews from seven to eight, the league’s vice president of football operations said . ... CBS Corp. said it obtained rights to carry NFL games on its CBS All Access streaming service, allowing the mostwatched U.S. TV network to offer its most popular programming online. The multi-year deal with the NFL starts Sunday . ... Kansas Chiefs defensive lineman Jaye Howard was put on injured reserve because of a hip injury, ending the veteran’s season . ... Buffalo Bills receiver Sammy Watkins returned to practice, but offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn said that Watkins was still dealing with a broken bone in his left foot.