When Rob Gronkowski was suspended for a week midway through the 2017 season due to a late hit, the then-Patriots tight end was more elated than disappointed to be away from the field.

“I just got suspended a week. I was happy, I was finally happy,” Gronkowski said on Tuesday’s episode of “Man in the Arena. “I was like, ‘Yes, I’m away from football for a week. I get to recover my body.'”

Gronkowski, who was drafted by New England in 2010, detailed an “eerie” atmosphere with the Patriots in 2017, revealing that he and some of his teammates “weren’t really having a good time” and that the grind “was taking a toll” on him.

Further, teammate Tom Brady also detailed how Gronkowski, one of the quarterback’s favorite targets, was getting called for a lot of penalties in games.

“Every time Gronk would touch someone, they would throw a flag on Gronk,” Brady said on Tuesday’s episode. “But at the same time, they could drape their arms all over him and not get called for any penalties.

“Our own team started getting on Gronk for that and Gronk was like, ‘I’m just trying to play ball,'” Brady added.

When the Patriots faced the Bills in a Week 13 division showdown that year, Gronkowski’s frustrations got the better of him.

“I was just getting held again. Going in on the in route, I got held. Coming back out, held me. And boom, there was no flag,” Gronkowski recalled.

The play in question was when Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White wasn’t called for holding but got the interception instead. At the moment, Gronkowski “just lost it” and dropped an elbow on White, who ended up in concussion protocol.

Gronkowski, 32, publicly apologized to White and told the press he “was just really frustrated at that moment.” When the tight end was hit with a one-game suspension, he was all but doing cartwheels.

“I mean, when you’re running full-speed into people, definitely was taking a toll on me. Football, such a grind week in, week out. It is physical, it’s violent, and you’re just running full speed at people and you need to recover from football and that’s what a lot of people don’t understand,” Gronkowski said.

“I lost a game check and it was about $300,000 that game check, and I didn’t even care one bit,” he continued. “I was just glad I had a week off from football because I needed it.”

When Gronkowski returned for a Week 15 game against the Steelers, he had nine receptions for 168 yards. Despite the success, New England’s 2017 season came to a disappointing end in Super Bowl 52, when the Patriots lost to the Eagles.

As for Gronkowski, he returned to the Patriots for another season before announcing his retirement in March 2019. When Brady left the Patriots for the Buccaneers a year later, however, Gronkowski came out of retirement in April 2020 to reunite with his favorite quarterback.

Gronkowski and Brady are currently chasing their second Super Bowl title with Tampa Bay after winning their first last February.