While Boston mayor Marty Walsh looks to keep his city safe during the coronavirus pandemic, he is also challenged with keeping his city sane amid the dismantling of the New England Patriots.
After losing franchise quarterback Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the end of March, April hasn’t been any more kind to New England fans as beloved tight end Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement Tuesday and followed Brady to the Sunshine State via trade.
While doing a spot on CNN Wednesday morning, Walsh was asked about his reaction to the loss of two now-former Patriots stars.
“The coronavirus has turned us upside down and what’s been going on with the New England Patriots lately has turned us upside down,” Walsh said. “But at the end of the day, we have the greatest coach of all time, we’ll be fine. But it was a little crazy to see that. I mean, during this pandemic, we’ve had Tom Brady sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we’ve now had Rob Gronkowski traded to the Buccaneers.
“I’m not quite sure what’s happening here in society these days. At least we can kind of laugh and chuckle about it, and we’ll get back to some normalcy. The Patriots are still going to be a great team.”
Gronkowski, 30, retired at the end of 2018 season after nine seasons in New England. He said the pain and injuries he suffered throughout his career eventually took a toll on his mental health.
The Patriots agreed to trade Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick to the Buccaneers for a compensatory fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft