Reports surfaced late Wednesday evening that former Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski is suffering from spinal stenosis, a potentially career-threatening condition.

Gronkowski denied reports in a phone interview with the Arizona Daily Wildcat.

“”That’s news to me,”” Gronkowski said. “”I haven’t heard that.””

The news originated from NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock and quickly spread across the Internet.

Spinal stenosis, according to MayoClinic.com, is a narrowing of one or more areas in the spine that can put pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves at the level of compression. It most commonly occurs in the neck or lower back and can cause numbness in the extremities, neck and shoulder pain and cramping in the legs. 

The news is potentially damaging to Gronkowski. If true, it would not only be his second major back injury in less than one year, but it would also put him at a high risk of paralysis during game action.

Gronkowski insisted that he is completely healed.

“”My back is 100 percent,”” he said. “”I’m still doing my pro day on (March) 27th.””

Gronkowski, a junior, is currently projected as a second- or third-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.