Rob Gronkowski shared a disturbing detail about having pockets of liquid around his head from football
- Rob Gronkowski said in an interview that he used to have pockets of liquid around his head from playing football.
- Gronkowski, who has since retired, said he has gotten treatment on his head and does things like puzzles to keep his mind sharp.
- Gronkowski has said he doesn't want to return to football yet but hasn't shut the door on a comeback down the road.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Rob Gronkowski this week revealed the extent to which football beat him down.
Gronkowski, who retired in March, said from a press conference to promote a CBD-based recovery ointment, that football was "bringing [him] down" and that he was not in a good place. He said he needed time to recover.
Speaking with NBC News on Wednesday, Gronkowski revealed a disturbing detail about life during football, saying he discovered he had pockets of liquid around his head.
"No lie, I felt my head, I used to have liquid," Gronkowski said. "It used to be thick, like, my head used to be thicker - a centimeter of liquid in some spots. And you'd be like, what the heck? You could put indents in my head."
Gronkowski said the pockets have since disappeared, that he gets treatments on his head and that he does things like puzzles to try to keep his mind sharp. The routines, of course, are geared toward trying to prevent CTE or other brain issues. He also said he used to experience mood swings.
"I was totally aware of what was going on with my body and my mind," he said. "And that's why I had to walk away."
Gronk has changed in retirement
Since retiring, Gronkowski has dropped 15-20 pounds, began eating cleaner, staying active, and venturing into the business world. Gronkowski told Business Insider that he doesn't have the "itch" to play football again, but he also hasn't shut the door on a comeback either.
"I gotta have that desire again, I gotta have that passion, I gotta have that fire," Gronkowski said at his press conference of a comeback. "I gotta have that sustainability to know that if I go back out there, I can sustain it, week in and week out. I'm not gonna go out there to be beat the 'f' up and feeling like crap. That's not the way to live; that's not the way to play football."
- Read more:
- Rob Gronkowski talks becoming an advocate for CBD, fasting, changes to the NFL, and whether he feels the 'itch' to return to football
- Rob Gronkowski says that Tom Brady is the healthiest player in the NFL and that he eventually wants to pitch him on CBD
- 20 famous athletes who retired earlier than expected
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