"15 years ago, Rob Gronkowski arrived in the NFL seemingly straight out of central casting - almost the platonic ideal of a football player in the American psyche. He was all muscle and kinetic energy, a fearsome blocker and incredible receiver who was impossible to tackle, a selfless teammate on the field and the ultimate party animal off it. His touchdown celebrations - often a silly dance followed by a ferocious spiking of the football - summed up his spirit as well as anything."
"Perhaps the most fascinating thing about Gronk is that there has always been a method to that madness. He inherently understood and calculated the relationship between hard work and hard partying, and went full tilt at both. "I did the stupidest shit in the smartest way possible," he explained elsewhere recently. Gronkowski lived solely off of his endorsement money during his playing career, and remains one of the most marketable athletes around, even in retirement."
"After being drafted in the second round following a career-threatening back injury in college, Gronk won four Super Bowls in 11 seasons: nine with the New England Patriots, and two more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after un-retiring to reunite with Tom Brady (who threw more career touchdowns to Gronkowski than to any other receiver). He retired again in 2022 as one of the best tight ends in history."
Rob Gronkowski emerged as an archetypal NFL athlete: powerful, explosive, elite at blocking and receiving, and known for exuberant touchdown celebrations. He grew up in Buffalo as one of five brothers, overcame a career-threatening college back injury, and was drafted in the second round. He won four Super Bowls across 11 seasons, played mostly with New England and briefly with Tampa Bay after un-retiring to reunite with Tom Brady, and retired in 2022 as a top tight end. He balanced intense work with heavy partying, relied on endorsement income during his career, and now remains highly marketable while working in media and supporting community projects.
Read at Intelligencer
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