Gronk predicts Buffalo's season of strife ending in Super Bowl glory
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[January 11, 2023]
By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The city of Buffalo has faced some dark
times this season but having overcome Bills safety Damar Hamlin's
on-field cardiac arrest and deadly winter blizzards, Rob Gronkowski
predicts a storybook ending for the franchise's long-suffering fans.
The four-time Super Bowl champion and Buffalo native said the
"brotherhood" of the NFL has been on full display this week, with
teams honoring Hamlin and fans praying outside the Cincinnati
hospital where the 24-year-old was being treated.
"It was unreal how everyone came together," Gronkowski told Reuters
while promoting his Gronk Beach music festival, which will be held
in Scottsdale, Arizona the day before the Feb. 12 Super Bowl in
Glendale.
"It was a great situation where everyone joined as one, brought the
love, brought the prayers and sent all that love and humanity to
Damar," he said, noting that more than $8.6 million has been donated
to Hamlin's toy drive fundraiser.
Eight days ago Hamlin had his heartbeat restored on the field as
players cried, prayed and hugged and millions of television viewers
looked on in horror.
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Thanks to the
quick actions of the Bills medical staff and the care of doctors at
University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin has made a
remarkable recovery and was released from the hospital and returned
to Buffalo on Monday.
"To see how much better he is doing is just amazing," Gronkowski
said.
"And to see the love he is putting back out there is just
spectacular. So I'm just hoping and praying that he returns to full
health and he can live a healthy life. Sending love and prayers to
him and his family."
DEADLY BLIZZARD
Hamlin's brush with death comes after the fiercest blizzard in 45
years struck western New York over Christmas weekend, claiming at
least 38 lives in Buffalo.
A mid-November snowstorm forced the Bills to move a home game to
Detroit and Gronkowski said the response from fans showed the true
character of his fellow Buffalonians.
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![](../images/011123PIX/sports5.jpg)
Buffalo Bills fans show support for Damar Hamlin during a game
against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory
Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
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"Going over to the players houses, shoveling them out, plowing the
snow in the blizzard so the players could get to the airport to fly
out to the game just shows that Buffalo sticks together," he said.
"They're blue collar people and they love their Buffalo Bills, no
doubt about that."
Gronkowski, 33, retired after nine seasons and three championships
with the New England Patriots only to return to rejoin quarterback
Tom Brady in Tampa, where the duo won another title at the end of
the 2020 season.
He said he had originally envisioned playing for the Bills and was
sorely disappointed when the front office at the time passed on him
twice, leading to a "love-hate" relationship with the franchise that
he says is now "all love."
Would he consider coming back again to suit up for the Bills or
another team?
"Right now there's no consideration at all for anything like that,"
he said.
As for the Feb. 12 Super Bowl itself, he sees the red-hot San
Francisco 49ers and their ruthless defense squaring off against his
hometown Bills, who lost four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990 to
1993.
"And I'm going to have to say that the Bills are finally going to
win a Super Bowl," he said.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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