Bad news for football fans and Dear Utol (2025): My Bilmoko GF Episode 34fantasy owners: Rob Gronkowski will undergo back surgery for a herniated disc.

The New England Patriots tight end, who is among the league's biggest stars, will be out for more than a month as the NFL regular season approaches its finish line, according multiple reports.

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Gronkowski is a 6-foot-6, 265-pound athletic marvel who is regarded as one of the league's most impressive physical specimens. But even he is far from immune from the dangers of a brutal sport.

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He left last week's win over the New York Jets with back problems. Two weeks before that, he suffered a perforated lung on this jarring hit.

He also underwent back surgery in 2013 and 2009. He's predicted to miss "several weeks" of action this time around, per NFL.com.

His absence will rob the Patriots, whose current record of 9-2 leads the AFC East, of one their biggest offensive threats as the playoffs approach. The NFL regular season ends Jan. 1.