Gronk Gets a Game for Double-Planking

There's a fine line between being a lovable, Belushi-type character and a jerk.

Rob Gronkowski crossed it when he rabbit-planked the Buffalo's Tre’Davious White after the Bills' CB had the audacity to intercept a pass.

There's no fine line between being The Commish and a jerk.

Roger Goodell erased that a long time ago.

More often than not, in any incident timing is everything.

Referees, for example, are loathe to be the dudes to determine the outcome of a game in its final throes. Yes, there are a few who are oblivious to street sense, but still.

In this game, the New England Patriots were cruising along on their way to a 23-3 smackdown. Sure, there was chippiness all throughout, but that was not an excuse for this:

Yes, it was a first down. Yes, it was worth 15 yards.

But in the bigger scheme of things, for chrissakes! How is that only worth a one-game suspension when taking air outta footballs gets a player -- granted, a New England player -- four games?

Is this now because Goodell needs to be on Robert Kraft's good side while Jerry Jones is on the warpath over The Commish's contract extension?

Nothing is straightforward in how this league is run.

It's almost as if it's a requirement that every front office exec is required to read Machiavelli's The Prince and abide by it.

And for all the palace intrigue, the Gronk should consider himself lucky he got outta town with only a one-game suspension.