What bothers me is all the discussion is centered around the cheap shot and it isn’t being mentioned, at least from what I saw on NBC, that the hit came after one of the worst non-calls of the season, which is a factor in all of this. Gronk didn’t just cheap shot some random guy on the other team, he hit someone who blatantly cheated and was rewarded for it without penalty. Gronk is refereed like Shaq, and opponents are allowed to get away with a lot against him that they wouldn’t be able to do against any other player. How many times per game is Gronk pulled, pushed, held, chipped, illegally per game? How many times has Gronk been on the end of some vicious cheap shots? It was only a matter of time before he lashed out.
He shouldn’t have done it and if he is suspended, while wildly inconsistent with the rest of the league’s rulings, he will have to live with that. I think on replay the hit looked a lot more dangerous than what Gronk intended, which was likely a standard after the whistle shot that usually results in a 15 yard penalty and maybe a flag. He lost control and the guy ended up getting his head shoved into the ground due to Gronk’s reckless play. Given his lack of record and what I (biased) thought was a sincere apology I think he shouldn’t be suspended, but if he is he doesn’t have anyone to blame but himself.