BY SCOTT BAINES
The New England Patriots have made a rather significant change to their medical department.
Thomas Gill, who served the team's head doctor for the last decade, has stepped down as chief of sports medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and with that, is no longer the head of the Patriots' medical staff.
"We have always had the chief of sports medicine at MGH serve as the team’s medical director and will continue to work with MGH to provide those services," the Patriots said Thursday in a statement. "We greatly appreciate the many years of dedicated service and innovation that Dr. Gill provided our team and wish him well in the future.
"We will continue to work with MGH Sports Medicine to provide our medical services and look forward to receiving the level of care and expertise that MGH has been providing the New England Patriots since our team’s inception. Dr. Matt Provencher is the new chief of sports medicine at MGH and will become the team’s new medical director."
The move comes in the wake of reports last fall that Rob Gronkowski's family was concerned with the surgery performed on the star tight end's forearm during the 2012 season.
There was also a grievance filed last summer by the NFLPA calling for Gill to resign, stemming from the Patriots trying to recoup the $3.85 million signing bonus received by Jonathan Fanene, who was released at the end of August with a "failure to disclose physical condition" designation.
In the grievance, Gill was accused of not acting in the best interest for Fanene.
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