Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has more surgery on broken arm, this time for an infection

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) catches a pass out of bounds while defended by Houston Texans inside linebacker Barrett Ruud (54) during the first half of the AFC divisional round playoff game at Gillette Stadium. (Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports)

Rob Gronkowski is the type of transcendent player who has literally changed the way the game of football is played today. No longer are tight ends seen as guys who can exclusively block or only catch passes, but dual-threat weapons who can stretch the field and help keep defenses honest in the running game.

However, and as good a player as Gronk is, the big Patriots star is going to need both of his arms to keep doing it.

That is why yet another surgery on his twice-broken forearm is snagging headlines up and down panicky New England. It’s Spring Training right now, and the Red Sox have taken a backseat to an infection in his left arm that forced Gronk to miss the Oscars.

[Instead, the Baltimore Ravens' Ed Reed served as NFL Network's red carpet reporter]

Adam Schefter of ESPN and Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com report that Gronkowski had surgery last week to clean out the infection.

Now, the big man is back on track to be fully healthy by the start of training camp. The news is big for Patriots fans who want to see their New England team make another run at a title, but perhaps even bigger for quarterback Tom Brady. Gronkowski is the first tight end in NFL history to catch 10 or more touchdown passes in three consecutive seasons. Obviously, he has become one of Brady’s favorite targets.

That said, perhaps Brady should take it upon himself to keep Gronk out of Vegas for the next few months as the two ready for the season.

We can’t be too sure where the big man got that infection, but perhaps in this case, what happened in Vegas did not exactly stay there.

MORE: Gronk is sorry for partying — sort of.

What do you think Gamedayrs?