Rob Gronkowski pulled out a Tom Brady with his recent retirement announcement.
The former New England Patriots shutout ended on social media with a heartfelt statement about his stay in Tampa Bay, but not to mention his time in Foxboro. While the blatant omission certainly rubbed the Patriots fans the wrong way, Gronkowski wants to make it clear that it was nothing personal.
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“I think it’s a little out of proportion,” Gronkowski told NESN on Tuesday. “I mean, I did it when, you know, my first retirement.”
“There’s no doubt that I love New England. I love all the fans here in New England. There’s no doubt about it. But it seemed to me that speech or whatever, the time and place I made it to at first it was great, and I only gave it away for that retirement during the two years I had in Tampa. But I think it disproportionately maybe a little bit. But I love New England, I love everything. “
In fact, Gronk thanked the Patriots in a lengthy post when he first retired in 2019. He retired from football the following season before joining Brady at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and adding another ring of Super Bowl in his collection.
It is understandable that it has been speculated that Gronkowski will retire again if Brady, who also changed his mind about retirement, gets to call. He erased those rumors on Tuesday.
“He would obviously contest the best quarterback of all time,” Gronkowski told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “Ask him how he is. Tell him I’m fine. But I wouldn’t go back to football, no.”
If this is the last we’ve seen of Gronkowski on the field, his next stop will be Canton, Ohio, for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.