Rob Gronkowski To Play In Super Bowl

The Patriots will have the services of Rob Gronkowski on Sunday. The tight end has cleared concussion protocol, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Rob Gronkowski (vertical)

Members of the press got their first clue that Gronk had cleared concussion protocol when he was announced to be available to media Thursday afternoon. This was the expected outcome as Gronkowski answered in the affirmative on Tuesday when asked if he would play.

Gronkowski was forced out of the Pats’ AFC Championship Game victory against the Jaguars two weeks ago, leading to some question about whether he would be ready to go. With the extra week off between the semifinal and the Super Bowl, the Pats star had enough time to clear the cobwebs and gain medical clearance.

Gronkowski hauled in a team-high 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns this year. Now that the Jaguars know he’ll be on the field, they’ll have to game plan for one of the game’s scariest offensive weapons. The Eagles’ linebackers will do their part to cover Gronkowski near the line, but Philly may be forced to use members of the secondary against him as well.

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