Pain of losing more than that of injury

After a week of attention on his troublesome ankle, New England Patriots wide receiver Rob Gronkowski was left with more pain from his team's 21-17 loss to the New York Giants than from his injury. A week after getting off the plane in Indianapolis wearing a protective ankle boot, Gronkowski was able to play in the Super Bowl but quarterback Tom Brady targeted him rarely. The 22-year-old set National Football League records for a tight end with 1,327 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns during the regular season but there was little sign of that kind of form on Sunday. Gronkowski had just two receptions for 26 yards and while his limited use was surely down to his ankle, he insisted he was fully fit. "I was good. I was 100 per cent out there doing everything they asked me to do. The trainers did a good job for two weeks, so when it got to the game time, I was ready to go." Gronkowski shrugged off a question about how much pain he may have been in due to inflammation.