NO SUPE FOR YOU: Tony Gonzalez, who had eight catches for 78 yards, walks off the field after the Falcons’ 28-24 loss to the 49ers, almost surely ending his Hall of Fame career. (Reuters)
ATLANTA — Tony Gonzalez was still in full uniform a half-hour after this was over, sitting in a chair and staring silently into his locker.
All of the Falcons were hurting in the wake of yesterday’s crushing, 28-24 loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, but to a man they seemed to feel the pain most for their Canton-bound tight end.
Gonzalez’s dream of a Super Bowl trip to cap what is likely to be the final season of his otherwise magnificent career was resting in tatters on the floor of the Georgia Dome, and his teammates almost couldn’t bear to think about it.
“He’s been so unselfish in this league for a long time,” Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson said in a pin drop-quiet locker room. “We’re all hurting individually, but it hurts a lot more for him. It really hurts.”
Gonzalez would not commit to retirement after composing himself and finally speaking to reporters, saying only that it “probably” was his last NFL game.
But if indeed it was Gonzalez’s finale, the lasting memory is going to be of him caught on the sideline by TV cameras after the Falcons incompletion on the deciding play yesterday mouthing the words “wide open.”
That was the truth, too. Gonzalez — who had burned the Niners to the tune of eight catches for 78 yards and a TD — had nothing but space around him on fourth-and-4 from the San Francisco 10 with 1:10 left and the Falcons trailing by four.
But feeling the heat from a relentless 49ers defense, Matt Ryan said he didn’t have time to find Gonzalez before tossing a pass to wideout Roddy White that ended up on the turf and sent San Francisco to the Super Bowl for the first time in nearly two decades.
As a result, Gonzalez — who won the first playoff game of his career the week before — will have to watch the Big Game from a distance.
Again.
“I don’t want anybody out there to feel sorry for me,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve had a great ride, a great career. From the Falcons to the Chiefs, it’s been awesome. I have no regrets, not a one.”
Despite Gonzalez’s wishes, several teammates, coaches and even Falcons owner Arthur Blank went out of their way to come by his locker and express their condolences.
Robinson was the most notable, giving Gonzalez a long, tearful hug after Gonzalez finally took off his uniform an hour afterward.
“It was emotional,” Gonzalez said. “It’s probably the last time I’m ever going to wear that uniform or wear football pads and football cleats. I didn’t want to take it off, to tell you the truth.”
Gonzalez paused, perhaps acknowledging the finality of it.
“All good things come to an end, and like I said, all season long, this is probably my last one,” he said. “What an unbelievable ride.”
bhubbuch@nypost.com