Gronkowski Celebrates Patriots Hall of Fame Induction With Stories and Jokes

Rob Gronkowski became the 38th inductee into the Patriots' Hall of Fame in New England during a ceremony at Gillette Stadium on November 7. Former teammates and fellow honorees, including quarterback Tom Brady, attended the event, which reflected Gronkowski’s playful reputation as well as his football career.

Gronkowski said he was unusually nervous before speaking, but delivered a speech lasting nearly 18 minutes. He revisited the story of falling asleep during a pre-draft visit with New England in 2010, explaining that he was exhausted and hungover. When coaches tested him on plays, he said he urged them to give him the ball and judge him by what he did on the field. The Patriots later traded up to draft him 42nd overall.

He also joked about stumbling over “resiliency,” a word his girlfriend, Camille Kostek, had warned him might trip him up. Gronkowski credited his high school and college communities, Patriots teammates, coaches, trainers and offensive coordinators Bill O’Brien and Josh McDaniels. He said McDaniels helped him identify favorable matchups.

Gronkowski recalled shoving Colts defensive back Sergio Brown out of bounds during a 2014 game, saying Brown had been talking trash. He also promised to celebrate his induction with a Boston Lager and planned to ask former teammate Julian Edelman, who has a beer with Sam Adams, to have one ready.

The speech closed with Gronkowski telling the rainy crowd that he would always be a Patriot. He was due to travel to New York that night for his work as a Fox Sports analyst.