Marc Fortier

Gronk Says He'll Play in Super Bowl

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski told NBC10 Boston Tuesday that he will play in Super Bowl LII.

"Yes," Gronkowski said, when asked Tuesday night if he thought he would play on Sunday. He also said he expects to practice on Wednesday.

He said he feels great, and it was great to be out on Tuesday night. He said he hopes to clear the NFL's concussion protocol on Wednesday.

Gronkowski had been mostly silent in recent days as he recovered from a concussion suffered in the AFC title game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He practiced over the weekend and attended Monday's send-off rally, but hadn't spoken publicly since suffering his injury until Tuesday.

But he finally broke his silence after playing Madden NFL 18 against former teammate LeGarrette Blount at the Microsoft Store inside the Mall of America. He also posted a goofy Instagram story showing him wearing a large fur hat and hanging with NFL legend Deion Sanders.

Until last weekend, Gronkowski hadn't been on the practice field since his second-quarter exit from the AFC Championship following a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jaguars safety Barry Church.

Gronkowski played just eight games last season and missed the Patriots' entire playoff run after undergoing season-ending back surgery. Since the start of last season, New England is 12-1 without him.

The Patriots will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. in Minneapolis.

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