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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was again asked about the possibility that he’ll retire after the Super Bowl on Wednesday and his reply of “yes, no, maybe so” didn’t push things in one direction or another.

An answer to another question shed light on the kinds of things that Gronkowski will have to consider when it comes time to make a call on returning to the field for the 2019 season. Gronkowski was asked about the physical and mental toll that players take over the course of a season.

“The season’s a grind. It’s up and down. I’m not going to lie and sit here and say every week is the best,” Gronkowski said, via NBC Sports Boston. “Not at all. You go up, you go down. You can take some serious hits. To tell you the truth, just try and imagine getting hit all the time and trying to be where you want to be every day in life. It’s tough, it’s difficult. To take hits to the thigh, take hits to your head. Abusing your body isn’t what your brain wants. When your body is abused, it can bring down your mood. You’ve got to be able to deal with that, too, throughout the season. You gotta be able to deal with that in the games.”

Gronkowski missed three games and was limited in others due to ankle and back issues this season, but has played all but seven offensive snaps in the postseason while looking as healthy as he has all season. His comments make it clear that’s nothing to take for granted and the same would seem to be true of Gronkowski’s return for a 10th season.