Rob Gronkowski got off on completely the wrong foot with the New England Patriots.
The larger than life Hall of Fame-worthy tight end spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Patriots, winning three Super Bowls and recording 521 catches for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns.
But it wasn’t always plain sailing for Gronk and the Pats.
He had a nightmare pre-draft interview with head coach Bill Belichick where he fell asleep after being hungover from a wild one the night before.
The retired superstar shared his version of events on Jason Tartick’s Trading Secrets podcast.
“This was one of my mistakes,” explained Gronkowski.
“I party at the University of Arizona one night and got absolutely hammered. Had to jump on the flight the next day and started this little tour. So I already put myself in the bag. So I’m going on this tour. I’m falling, I’m no sleep, I’m hungover already. I’m visiting all these teams and then I got to New England and I’m (gassed).”
“So I had the most craziest visit man, my comments I was saying to their questions, I just let it fly,” he went on.
“And then they went through the playbook. They drew up some play. It was Billy O’Brien, the offensive coordinator, with the New England Patriots. He drew up a play. He came back and I didn’t know one single thing. My mind was shut off. And I was just like I basically said something like ‘It doesn’t matter. Just throw me the football.
“Just like that. And they were just mind-blown.
“They were like, ‘This guy is out of hand.’ Then I go upstairs, pass right out right on the floor. I’m so tired and pass right out on the floor while waiting for the next coach to talk to. Passed right out. So my visit was probably the worst visit of all time.
“I mean, there was a lot more detail to like how outrageous it was, but we just need a glimpse of it,” he added.
“And I walked out. And I said to myself, that team is either going to draft me or that team is either crossing me off the list right now. And so I said it’s either or. And then look what happened.”
Belichick also shared his side of the story and admitted Gronk didn’t make a very good impression.
“Rob was kind of a shot in the dark,” Belichick recalled.
“He came up on his pre-draft visit, had a bad visit. We put him in a room, came back and he was asleep on the floor. Didn’t make a very good impression. I brought him, we’re getting ready to meet with the coaches, he fell asleep on the floor.”
“We just kind of you know, bet that he would come through, and he certainly did big time,” he added.
Belichick and New England clearly saw something in Gronk and knew they could mould him into an all-timer.
They selected him in the second round (No. 42 overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft, but it wasn’t long before they had to tell him off.
In fact, it took Gronk all of five minutes to get in trouble with his new team.
“When I was drafted to the Patriots it was a proud moment,” Gronkowski said in ‘The Dynasty: New England Patriots’ docuseries on AppleTV+.
“My family came on stage as well. We got in a huddle. We were [cheering] in the huddle, jumping up and down.
“And then all of a sudden I get a phone call from the Patriots, and they said, ‘Hey Rob, you can get off now, like enough is enough.’
“And I’m sitting there like, ‘Wow I’m already in trouble. It’s been five minutes since I’ve been on the Patriots, and I’m already in trouble.”
Everything worked out for the best and Gronk left an indelible mark on both the Patriots and NFL at large.
The 35-year-old has four All-Pro selections, five Pro Bowls and the 2014 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award on his resume.
He also holds NFL records for most total touchdowns in a season by a tight end (18) and most receiving touchdowns in a season by a tight end (17).
Gronk also caught 12 touchdowns in 16 playoff games for New England.
His partnership with QB Tom Brady is the stuff of legend, and in 2020 he joined TB12 in Tampa Bay where they would go on to claim another world title together in 2021.
He retired in 2022 and now works as studio analyst for Fox Sports while throwing crazy first pitches in MLB games.
Gronkowski could have an expanded role around the NFL this season, while working with ex-teammate Tom Brady on TV.
The legendary tight end, who made $70 million, has contributed to both Fox NFL Sunday and Fox NFL kickoff as a studio analyst in recent years.
But with the retirement of Jimmy Johnson, the Pro Football Hall of Fame coach who had been the face of Fox Sports and their NFL coverage for three decades, Gronk has been tipped to step up.
