For the second straight day, tight end Rob Gronkowski was the only player to miss practice for the New England Patriots on Friday.Â
Gronkowski is dealing with a left ankle injury, which, predictably the Patriots have provided few details on as the team conducts practices leading up to Super Bowl XLVI.
But that didn't stop Gronkowski's father, Gordy, from telling WIVB-TV in Buffalo that his son is suffering from a high ankle sprain. The elder Gronkowski said he expects his son, who attended Williamsville North High School in the Buffalo area, to be ready to play against the New York Giants.
Rob Gronkowski was the only player held out during the Patriots' first two practices of the week and was officially listed as questionable on the team's practice report. The Patriots also listed 12 other players as questionable, all of whom were limited in practice for the second straight day.
Gronkowski went down during the second half of the Patriots' 23-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game after getting hit by Ravens safety Bernard Pollard. Gronkowski briefly went into the Pats' locker room after the injury, but quickly returned to the game. He was spotted after the game sporting a walking boot on his injured left leg.
According to The Boston Globe, Gronkowski will likely need surgery to clean up the ankle after the season.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Thursday that the team was taking a day-by-day approach to Gronkowski's recovery.
"I'm not going to try to forecast where things will be 10 days from now," Belichick said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
