On December 3rd, during the 4th quarter of the Patriots-Bills game, Patriot tight end Rob Gronkowski threw a cheap shot at Buffalo Bills player Tre’Davious White. Gronk threw himself onto the player’s back, who was laying on the ground. He drove his elbow into White’s shoulder and the back of his neck. As a result of this, White had to be taken out of the game and has since been confirmed to have a concussion. However, he started limited practice with his team again this week. But Gronk is not as fortunate. He was not taken out of the game, but he was formally suspended by the NFL for one game in a letter that said “Your actions were not incidental, could have been avoided and placed the opposing player at serious risk of injury,” as reported by SBNation and other sports news outlets. Gronk will lose $281,000 as reported by ESPN. This comes from the suspension costing 1/17th of his salary for the year, which would be $250,000 as Gronkowski makes $4.25 million per year, and his per-game roster bonus, which is usually $31,250.

Gronk has apologized for the hit, saying that “I want to apologize to No. 27…I’m not in the business of that. I mean, there was a lot of frustration and I was just really frustrated at that moment and it just happened naturally through emotions. … I just want to apologize to Tre’Davious White. I just didn’t understand why there wasn’t a flag [against White for defensive holding just prior to the interception]… And they’re calling me for the craziest stuff ever,” as reported by CBS Sports. The hit came directly after White intercepted a pass from QB Tom Brady that was intended for Gronkowski. Throughout the game, Gronk received a few penalties for aggressive play and he was fed up.

Bill Belichick apologized to Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott after the game, and said that the suspension was “out of [his] control” and that the Patriots would be fine practicing without Gronkowski for their game against the Miami Dolphins on December 11th. This game is important as it determines who will clinch the AFC East division championship title and move on to the playoffs in order to get to the Super Bowl again this year. However, the Patriots have a 20-5 record in games without Gronkowski, so the odds are looking to be in their favor.