Could a tampering punishment be coming the Tampa Bay Buccaneers way? That is certainly a valid question after Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski made some interesting comments to the media on Saturday.
During the Bud Light Seltzer “Drafterparty,” following the NFL Draft, Gronkowski indicated that he had been studying the Tampa Bay Buccaneers playbook for quite a while. The comment came in connection to the fact that Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow had been studying the Bengals playbook for a while.
The fact that Gronkowski had the playbook is not a rules violation. The interesting part is how he got the playbook. Depending on how he got it, that could be a violation. The tight end was still under contract with New England, until he was traded to Tampa Bay last week. There could be a situation where Tampa Bay was having direct contact with Gronk about coming to Tampa Bay. Getting the playbook could have been part of luring him down to Florida. The potential of direct contact could be the problem for Tampa Bay.
“I was in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers playbook four weeks ago, and I wasn’t even on the team.”
This seems like a slip-up on the part of Gronkowski. He has since backtracked from his comments. Knowing the type of fun-loving personality he has, this type of slip-up is not surprising. As of now, there has been no word from the league in regards to punishment for him or the Buccaneers.
As an organization, the New England Patriots did not comment on the situation.
It will certainly be different seeing Gronkowski in Tampa Bay. These past couple of weeks have been interesting for him as he adjusts to a new life.
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