Gronk Promotes CBD, Talks Football: Watch His News Conference

According to News Center Maine, former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is partnering with Abacus Health Products to launch a line of CBD products targeted to athletes.

Gronk claims that his dad introduced him to the all-natural products from CBDMEDIC that he uses daily for back pain. That was just a few months ago, and according to Rob, he is now pain free for the first time in ten years.

The three-time Super Bowl champ became emotional during Tuesday's press conference when he talked about the toll that football has taken on him physically and emotionally. He choked up a few times, fighting back tears as he described his final game and the pain that he remained in for weeks after.

He says he is recovering after what seems like a truly traumatizing experience, and that he has no immediate plans to return to the sport that he had always loved, but was no longer enjoying.

Gronk also said that his heart goes out to other players who are suffering with major pain but could be benefiting from CBD, which is currently on the league's list of banned substances. Gronk, along with Abacus Health Products, is advocating for change, and hopes that natural CBD products will become a safe, acceptable alternative to pain management in sports.

Rob did point out that if his passion for football returns, he still has one year on his contract.

Here's the video of Tuesday's news conference: