Gronk not being able to enjoy a Super Bowl win could be a huge wake up call for players

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski attended an event in New York City on Tuesday and of course since the entire world won't stop talking about the retirement of Andrew Luck, Gronk was asked about it. Reminder in case you live under a rock -- he also retired what would be considered "early" and was also frequently injured. 

Gronk explained that he was hurt a lot (duh), and also agreed with Luck, where he stated that he was not mentally able to handle the game of football any longer. One of the anecdotes that he mentioned was during this past Super Bowl when he was hit by two Los Angeles Rams defenders.

Gronkowski said he took a hit to the quad. It left him crying in his bed After winning a Super Bowl. Couldn't sleep for more than 20 minutes a night. Drained 1000 mL of blood out of his leg.

What stands out to me: It was a totally unremarkable play. Standard football play. pic.twitter.com/Epl23CqNHN

— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) August 27, 2019

Like the tweet mentions, this is a totally normal football play. One that doesn't even make you cover your eyes or wince. That is terrifying. Gronk went on to say that he barely slept for weeks following because of the pain, and therefore couldn't even enjoy a Super Bowl win.

You have to think more players will follow this trend of "retiring early." Even if one of the top players, on the best team of our generation (I hate the word 'dynasty,' so just bear with me here) can't enjoy a Super Bowl -- which is what every single player plays for at the end of the day -- what else is there? I think plenty of players will see top-tier players like Luck and Gronk and compare it to their own football horror stories (and everyone has them, trust me), and will definitely start to weigh their options. I don't blame them one bit.