Report: NFL Not Investigating Rob Gronkowski Saying He Had Bucs Playbook Early

It appears Rob Gronkowski won't have to explain his comments about getting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers playbook early any further as far as the NFL is concerned.  

After the tight end made an offhand comment about having been in possession of the team's playbooks for weeks, despite only coming out of retirement on April 22, many around the league began to wonder if there was some tampering at play.

According to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, the league office will not be investigating at this time: 

Gronkowski's comment came during an NFL draft appearance on the Bud Light Seltzer "Drafterparty" stream after hearing how No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow had been studying the Cincinnati Bengals playbook for a while before the team officially selected him. 

Once the tight end's comments went viral, Gronkowski posted on Instagram to let the world know he was only kidding. 

"I was just joking around with Sage [Steele] as I was pretty much the whole time that night when I was co-hosting the show," Gronkowski's post read, per MassLive's Chris Mason. "Wowsers, my co-hosting skills are on point!" 

The 30-year-old added that he had only recently received his team-issued Microsoft Surface, which contains the Bucs' playbook. 

Even then, Gronkowski said there's not much to learn. 

"Gronk run Gronk catch ball," he wrote. "No playbook needed."

Just the same, head coach Bruce Arians would probably feel a lot better if his new tight end studied up on it anyways. 

Tampa Bay lucked out by bringing quarterback Tom Brady and Gronkowski to town, but it also gets the baggage that comes with them—namely a heavy dose of skepticism from rival fans after years of accusatory headlines in New England have labeled them potential cheaters. 

That mistrust is alive and well. Even after Gronkowski's short-lived retirement.