Patriots Team Doctor Thomas Gill Steps Down

Dr. Thomas Gill is stepping down after over a decade of service with the New England Patriots. Gill is a leading orthopedic surgeon who specializes in knees and shoulders. Gill has expressed a desire to continue performing surgery for his private practice and to move away from the team.

Here's the Patriots press release:

After well over a decade of service with the New England Patriots, Dr. Thomas Gill has stepped down as the chief of sports medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Sports Medicine to focus on his private practice which will subsequently end his tenure as medical director with the team.

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. 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.

Gill had come under increased scrutiny for his handling of Rob Gronkowski's surgeries over last off-season, as well as a suit from the NFL Players Association for impacting the ordeal with Jonathan Fanene and his non-disclosed injury.

It's worth noting (especially if you skimmed the above) that his stepping down isn't technically due to the Patriots. Whoever is the Chief of Sports Medicine at Mass General Hospital is the Patriots team doctor. As Gill is leaving MGH to pursue his private practice, he's also leaving the Patriots.