FORT MYERS, Fla. -- David Ortiz knows retirement, having lived the life for more than a year now. He also knows Rob Gronkowski, who partnered up with the former Red Sox slugger for a series of Dunkin Donuts commercials.
That's why it was interesting to listen to Ortiz's advice for his football-playing buddy when the subject of retirement came up.
"I don't think it's time to go for him," Ortiz told WEEI.com while visiting JetBlue Park. "He's too young. He's still athletic. He has so much talent. I don't think it's a good decision."
Ortiz also warned of making such a decision too close to the end of any season, when the physical and mental wear and tear is still looming.
"Nah, you don't want to do that right after a season. Especially not at 27 [years old>," he noted. "You know how much life you've got left?"
Ortiz did, however, sympathize with some of the issues facing Gronkowski, especially considering all the physical toll his body has already taken. For the former DH, it was the ailments -- his ankles and feet, in particular -- that served as the main impetus for his retirement following the 2016 season.
"I've got to tell you one thing, once you start dealing with a lot of injuries and your body starts breaking down … especially that sport," he said. "You know he has a lot of injuries and concussions and all that stuff. It might be a sign."
So far, the signs involving Gronkowski's situation remained mixed. Earlier Wednesday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the belief was that the tight end would be back playing in 2018. But later in the day, Gronkowski responded with a tweet that read: "#clueless" which was followed by an emoji representing confusion.
Power meets power. #SoxSpring pic.twitter.com/lPSPkWnNA3
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 28, 2018
