Rob Gronkowski's Patriots Hall of Fame induction will bring no shortage of franchise legends back to Foxborough — though one big name will notably be absent from Saturday's celebration.

Speaking to ESPN on Thursday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft revealed that he would be unable to attend Gronkowski's ceremony after undergoing back surgery. The 85-year-old joked that he is currently "on injured reserve" while recovering from the procedure, with doctors advising him to stay off his feet.

"As much pain as I was in before having surgery, it pains me even more to miss the ceremony," said Kraft, who became embroiled in an ugly feud with the rapper Macklemore back in September.

In addition to Gronkowski’s induction, Kraft will be forced to miss the Patriots’ Week 9 clash against the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium, and New England’s Week 10 international matchup versus the Detroit Lions in Munich the following week.

Yet Kraft still managed to find the humor in his road to recovery, expressing sympathy for the numerous surgeries Gronkowski underwent throughout his playing career.

"I always told Gronk that in my next life, I wanted to come back as him because I had never seen him have a bad day. But after a couple of back surgeries, I take that back. I never want to experience that again," Kraft quipped.

Gronkowski achieved no shortage of success during his nine-season tenure in New England, helping lead the Patriots to nine AFC East championships, eight AFC Championship Games and four Super Bowl appearances.

After being selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Gronkowski went on to amass 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns with New England in the regular season.

The Arizona product continued to shine in the playoffs, reeling in 81 catches for another 1,163 yards and 12 scores with the Patriots.

"I just love Gronk,” Kraft added. “One of my greatest moments of love and affection for him was draft day, celebrating on the stage with his dad and brothers. It personified who he is.

"He became a fan favorite almost immediately and remained the standard at tight end for nearly a decade."

While Kraft won’t be able to attend Gronkowski's induction, the former tight end admitted that he’d likely struggle to hold back the tears while surrounded by friends and family.

“I'm definitely going to be emotional,” Gronkowski said while making his annual appearance on the Up & Adams show. “I'm going to have my whole entire family there. You know, so many friends that I played with back in the day, I haven't seen them in so long.

“Just bringing up the memories, just bringing up the good old times — because being in my 20s, being on the Patriots, those were the best days of my life.

“You're just young, you're just wild, anything goes, you know, the recovery is second to none. You just go to bed, you wake up, and you're ready to go again.”