Rob Gronkowski says he knew "the whole time" that he would play on Sunday.

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Gronkowski has cleared the concussion protocol and will play Sunday

He suffered the head injury during the AFC championship game against Jacksonville

Bloomington, Minnesota CNN  — 

Rob Gronkowski will not miss two Super Bowls in a row.

The Patriots tight end, who suffered a concussion in New England’s win in the AFC championship game against the Jaguars, was cleared from the concussion protocol on Thursday and will play in Super Bowl LII on Sunday.

“I’ll be full go, ready to roll,” Gronkowski said to reporters at the Mall of America.

Gronkowski, who missed last year’s Super Bowl because of back surgery, was listed as a full participant in practice on Thursday and said he knew “the whole time” that he would play on Sunday.

“The plan was to obviously get cleared,” Gronkowski said. “I knew it was going to happen, just eventually just when.”

Gronkowski said it was good to be back at practice, where he was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday. He said the Patriots were cautious about putting him back out there, which he said “helped out big time.”

Gronkowski didn’t want to discuss the hit he took against Jacksonville that caused the head injury.

“I’m not here to talk about that, about how shaky I was and everything,” Gronkowski said. “I mean, that will be for another time because I’ve got a big game coming up with the Super Bowl. But I mean, definitely, I did get a concussion for sure.”

When asked if it was a dirty hit, he replied, “It’s football. It is what it is. It’s a split second to make a decision. Running full speed, one way, I’m going the other way. It’s part of the game. It happens. You’ve just got to move on.”

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady expressed his happiness in having his top target back.

“I just love my experience playing with him,” Brady said. “He’s got a spirit about him that’s really unmatched, that no one can really duplicate. It’s very authentic to who he is. When he’s out there playing for our team, he’s a great force. It’s great for all of us when he’s out there playing at his top level.”