New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said he would be accepting of a gay teammate.

"I got this question before, about a year ago, and I basically will say the same answer that I did a year ago," he said Wednesday in an interview with Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco on ESPN Radio New York, when asked how the Patriots' locker room would receive an openly gay player. "You've got to accept the player. Everyone has their own ways to live their life and as long as he's respecting me, keeping distance, respecting myself, I'll respect him back.

"If he's being a great teammate and he's a guy on the field doing a great job, well then you've got nothing to complain about. He's another teammate and another friend."

In an interview at the ESPYs last July, Gronkowski offered a similar response.

"If that's how they are, that's how they are," he told Outsports.com. "I mean, we're teammates, so as long as he's being a good teammate and being respectful and everything, that's cool."

In a follow-up question Wednesday, Gronkowski was asked if he believes his teammates and other NFL players would share his sentiments.