{"id":14067,"date":"2017-12-04T16:28:10","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T21:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=14067"},"modified":"2017-12-13T10:11:50","modified_gmt":"2017-12-13T15:11:50","slug":"nfl-hands-one-game-suspension-gronkowski","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2017\/12\/04\/nfl-hands-one-game-suspension-gronkowski\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Hands Down One Game Suspension For Gronkowski"},"content":{"rendered":"

It looks like Tom Brady may be down another target next Monday night down in Miami.<\/p>\n

The NFL wasted little time in handing out their punishment for Rob Gronkowski’s hit on Tre’Davious White during yesterday’s win over the Bills, announcing a one game suspension for the veteran tight end on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Adam Schefter reported the news, with Gronkowski slated to miss next week’s game against the Dolphins unless it’s overturned on appeal.\u00a0 Schefter reports that Gronkowski will appeal the decision, but it seems like he may have a tough time.<\/p>\n

Schefter posted the official release, which included a portion of the letter to Gronkowski.\u00a0 It said the tight end broke multiple rules when he hit White following an interception by the Bills’ defensive back, and that was the reason for the punishment.<\/p>\n

According to the statement, Gronkowski “broke Rule 12, Section 2, Article 6,” which prohibits “unnecessary roughness” and specifically bans both “forcibly contacting a runner when he is out of bounds,” and “running, diving into…or throwing the body against or on a player who (1) is out of the play or (2) should not have reasonably anticipated such contact by an opponent before or after the ball is dead,” as well as Rule 12, Section 2, Article 7, which prohibits “initiating unnecessary contact against a player who is in a defenseless posture”.\u00a0 Players who are “on the ground” are both “defenseless” and protected from “forcible” hits to the “head or neck area with the helmet, facemask, or shoulder.”<\/p>\n

“Your actions were not incidental, could have been avoided and placed the opposing player at risk of injury,” said the letter.\u00a0 “The Competition Committee has clearly expressed its goal of ‘eliminating flagrant hits that have no place in our game.\u00a0 Those hits include the play you were involved in yesterday.”<\/p>\n

\n

Official release on Rob Gronkowski being suspended for next Monday night\u2019s game vs. the Miami Dolphins: pic.twitter.com\/REGzexzCIP<\/a><\/p>\n

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 4, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n