the downside to this, if the NFL doesn't follow it's protocol and precedents, and does suspend him one game, unless they can get the appeal done before this sunday, there will be no appeal
i suspect the patriot film crew is busy putting together tape on all the recent non-calls on gronk, to build the case that he is officiated poorly, and that his emotion got the best of him out of long term frustration and inconsistency.....i suspect given the chance you'll see some actual football media discussing this very issue once the ESPN hype fades
problem is, the NFL knows they can suspend him one game, and that the team will likely want to accept it to keep him in the clear for the Pitt game.....despite the fact that the player deserves no more than a fine, based on his history and how they have handled other incidents
unfortunately the NFL holds the cards here because of that......and we'll likely see the same punishment given for a minor first time offense as the one given to two players who engaged in their second ugly brawl (talib and crabtree), while a player like Alonso gets no suspension for an issue the NFL has been battling for years (targeting the head of a defenseless player)
by all rights, this should be a fine.....and it would be easy for the NFL to go this route, as Gronk has no history and can make he case of long term frustration over non-calls
but this is the NFL.....and they love to try and manage public opinion, and public opinion is against Gronk right now (and against the Patriots in general)....
it is really going to be interesting.....Kraft just did right by the league in the Jerry Jones battle......Gronk is one of the faces of the league.....at the same time, folks hate the Patriots, and he NFL lacks consistency in it's punishments.....
by all rights this is a fine and nothing more......but i really can't predict what they'll do; a lot depends on how much the Patriots want to push