"Serious concern" about Gronkowski surgery performed by Pats doctor
Thomas Gill is the same doctor which the NFLPA recently filed, and then withdrew, a grievance against.
Mike Petraglia, WEEI:
While it is common practice for team doctors to perform on their own athletes, the Gronkowski family became concerned after repeated surgeries to treat infections in the area of a pin that was placed in the forearm to expedite the healing process.
WEEI.com has learned from multiple sources with direct knowledge of the surgery that the arm, injured initially on Nov. 18, 2012 against the Colts, would have healed properly on its own with no surgery necessary. But the team and Gronkowski, looking to hasten his return to the field, decided upon surgery to use an implement in hopes he would be ready for the playoffs.
Gronkowski returned in the 2012 season finale and caught a touchdown pass but re-injured the arm two weeks later against Houston and was unavailable against Baltimore in the AFC championship.
One source with direct knowledge of the initial forearm surgery told WEEI.com Thursday night that there is “serious concern” about the integrity of the bone where the implement was placed and the surrounding nerves. The source indicated that if the bone had healed on its own without an implement, there would have been no infection. However, there now are concerns that an abscess developed, causing infection and seriously weakening the bone. This prompted three more surgeries in the offseason on the forearm, separate from the procedure on his back.
So, all of this would indicate that the Patriots screwed up Gronk's recovery by rushing him into surgery. This would further support rumors that the Patriots and Gronkowski weren't exactly on the same page in terms of his recovery.
Gronkowski's camp has been holding out on Gronk's return until his arm fully heals. This is why famed Dr. James Andrews was brought in to be a third party inorder to judge whether Gronkowski would be ready to return to the field.
With Andrews' blessing we can probably feel at ease about Gronkowski. However, it seems that if things were managed differently, Gronk could've returned much sooner this season. Even more than that, this reports indicates that surgery may have weakened the the bone in his arm, something you certainly don't want to hear about your physical tight end fresh off a contract extension.
