During the defending-champion New England Patriots 23-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, star tight end Rob Gronkowski got some serious heat from NFL fans. Gronk took a cheap shot at rookie defensive back Tre'Davious White while a play that was already over after a Tom Brady interception.

Gronkowski, who was clearly upset over the lack of a defensive pass interference call against White, launched himself into the cornerback after the play was over. White, whose head smacked the turf, was immediately placed in the concussion protocol.

A clip of the play in question was posted on Twitter by Pete Blackburn of CBS Sports, which can be viewed below.

After the game, Gronkowski owned up to his actions and apologized to White for the late hit.

“First off I definitely want to apologize to No. 27,” Gronkowski said, per Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. “I’m not in the business of that. It was just a lot of frustration. I was just really frustrated at that moment. Just want to apologize to Tre’Davious White. I don’t really believe in types of shots like that.”

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Bills safety Micah Hyde, who led Buffalo in tackles on the day with 12 stops, was not happy at all with Gronkowski and was shocked he wasn't ejected from the game.

“That's a dirty play, man,” Hyde said, per Mike Rodak of ESPN. “That's not cool. It's amazing to me that you don't get ejected for something like that. It's crazy. He obviously saw him on the ground. It's like a wrestling move. I don't know — elbow, shoulder — I don't know what it was. I saw on the replay it was just a dirty play, man. That's something the NFL talks about all the time about not wanting. If the refs didn't see it live, they had a good chance to see it on the replay. Just a dirty play.”

On the day, Gronkowski carved up the Bills' defense with nine catches for 147 yards receiving. The Pats and Bills will play again in three weeks at Gillette Stadium in Week 16, which will be New England's next home game.