Robert Kraft recovering from back surgery, misses Gronk HOF

Why Robert Kraft recovering from back surgery is trending

Robert Kraft recovering from back surgery means the Patriots owner will miss three things he had planned to be at in person: Rob Gronkowski's Patriots Hall of Fame induction on Saturday, Sunday's home game against the Green Bay Packers, and the team's trip to Munich the following week to play the Detroit Lions. Kraft, 85, told ESPN on Thursday that the surgery has him "on injured reserve." He said doctors have instructed him to stay off his feet through all three events, and that missing Gronkowski's ceremony in person "pains me even more" than the pain he was in before going under the knife.

Kraft shared the news with Gronkowski directly, adding some humor to it. He said he used to tell Gronkowski he wanted to come back as him in his next life, since Gronkowski never seemed to have a bad day as a player. After going through his own back surgeries, Kraft said "I never want to experience that again." Gronkowski went through multiple back surgeries of his own during his nine years playing tight end in New England.

How the Patriots and Fox are working around Kraft's absence

The timing was already complicated before Kraft's surgery. Because Gronkowski works Fox's Sunday pregame show, Kraft had hoped to pair the Hall of Fame induction with that show broadcasting from Gillette Stadium early in the season. When the Patriots' schedule came out in May, New England had only one Fox game, the November 8 matchup against the Packers, and that date was already committed to Fox's Salute to Service coverage. The Patriots worked with Fox to build a schedule that lets Gronkowski attend his induction Saturday and be honored at halftime Sunday while still covering his broadcasting duties.

Gronkowski's Patriots Hall of Fame case

Fans voted Gronkowski into the Patriots Hall of Fame in April, his first year of eligibility. He played nine seasons in New England, won nine AFC East championships with the team, reached eight AFC Championship Games and five Super Bowls, and won three of them. In the regular season he caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns, then added 81 more receptions in the postseason. Kraft recalled Gronkowski becoming a fan favorite almost immediately after the Patriots drafted him out of Arizona in the second round in 2010.

The Patriots' injury-heavy season

Kraft's surgery adds his name to a season that has already hit the Patriots roster hard. New England is 5-3 and beat the Miami Dolphins in Week 8 without wide receiver A.J. Brown, running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receivers Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs, and starting guards Mike Onwenu and Alijah Vera-Tucker. Tight end Hunter Henry also left that game with a foot injury. Kraft will now watch Sunday's Packers game and the Munich trip against the Lions from home while he recovers.

Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.