El tight end Rob Gronkowski, de los Patriots de Nueva Inglaterra, anunció el domingo su retiro de la NFL después de nueve temporadas.

Gronkowski publicó su decisión a través de Instagram, comentando que a pocos meses de su cumpleaños 30 “es tiempo de seguir adelante y seguir adelante con una enorme sonrisa”.

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It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far. I will be retiring from the game of football today. I am so grateful for the opportunity that Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick gave to me when drafting my silliness in 2010. My life experiences over the last 9 years have been amazing both on and off the field. The people I have meet, the relationships I have built, the championships I have been apart of, I just want to thank the whole New England Patriots organization for every opportunity I have been giving and learning the great values of life that I can apply to mine. Thank you to all of Pats Nation around the world for the incredible support since I have been apart of this 1st class organization. Thank you for everyone accepting who I am and the dedication I have put into my work to be the best player I could be. But now its time to move forward and move forward with a big smile knowing that the New England Patriots Organization, Pats Nation, and all my fans will be truly a big part of my heart for rest of my life. It was truly an incredible honor to play for such a great established organization and able to come in to continue and contribute to keep building success. To all my current and past teammates, thank you for making each team every year special to be apart of. I will truly miss you guys. Cheers to all who have been part of this journey, cheers to the past for the incredible memories, and a HUGE cheers to the uncertain of whats next.

A post shared by Rob Gronkowski (@gronk) on Mar 24, 2019 at 2:53pm PDT

“Todo empezó a los 20 años en el escenario del draft de la NFL cuando mi sueño se hizo realidad, y ahora estoy a punto de cumplir 30 en unos meses con una decisión que siento es la más grande de mi vida hasta ahora”, escribió Gronkowski en la publicación. “Hoy me retiro del fútbol americano”.

El agente de Gronkowski, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmó la decisión de su cliente.

El tight end, que en mayo cumplirá 30 años, se va como un jugador tricampeón del Super Bowl que se convirtió en uno de los más dominantes en su posición.

Pero en temporadas recientes, Gronkowski se ha visto aquejado por lesiones de espalda, rodilla, tobillo y brazos que han limitado su capacidad para mantenerse en la cancha.