Rob Gronkowski lost a video game competition Tuesday night but gave the news every Patriots fan wanted to hear.
Gronkowski said "yes," he will play the Super Bowl on Sunday, as he hopes to be cleared from the NFL's concussion protocol on Wednesday.
Gronkowski suffered the concussion Jan. 21 in the AFC Championship Game win over Jacksonville but resumed practice with the Patriots last weekend.
The All-Pro tight end has been unavailable to the media since before the AFC title game, but he was at the Microsoft Store in the Mall of America for an Xbox competition. He played Madden '18 against Eagles running back LeGarrette Blount and lost 33-13 before about 200 fans and 100 media members.
"It's great to be a part of [the Super Bowl], and it's great to be out here and see Blount," Gronkowski said. "He was on the [Patriots] team for about a couple years; we became really close friends. … We had a blast tonight."
JOE CHRISTENSEN