New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski’s playing status for 2018 remains shrouded in mystery. Ever since refusing to commit to playing next season shortly after Super Bowl LII in February, there’s still been no definitive answer regarding Gronk’s future.

Predictably, Bill Belichick didn’t supply any such answers as he skirted past a question about his star tight end's possible return for the 2018 season, NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran reports.

“I’m not going to speak for anybody else,” Belichick said. “Conversations I’ve had with the players –  and I’ve had a lot of them – I’m gonna keep those private between myself and the player. I’ll respect that coach-to-player conversation. I don’t want to speak for anybody else.”

It’s obviously not too much of a surprise to hear that Belichick declined to divulge pertinent information to the media about a sensitive topic. He’s gone basically his entire career doing what he does, and given how close he is to retirement, he’s not likely to start anytime soon.

Although, it remains to be seen whether Belichick actually does know anything about Gronk worth saying. Maybe he’s just as much in the dark as the rest of the world as Gronkowski remains undecided about his future in the sport.

Regardless, people waiting to hear anything definitive about Gronkowski may have to keep waiting a bit longer. But if Gronkowski misses the start of offseason workouts next month and there’s still no news about his future, the rumblings about his potential retirement will only grow louder.