FOXBOROUGH, Mass — For Rob Gronkowski, Saturday's celebration at Gillette Stadium was a day the legendary tight end will never forget as he officially became a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
“It meant everything, it really did to have the thousands and thousands of fans here that came out to celebrate this Hall of Fame induction,” Gronkowski said when speaking with reporters following the event. “The fans, I talked about it, they’re the ones who created the Gronk persona because they loved it so much. They’re the ones who created the Gronk spike … they loved it so much, I had to keep doing it.”
That Gronk spike certainly came out at times during the ceremony as he spiked a Green Bay Packers helmet ahead of the team's tilt tomorrow.
And then, after receiving his red jacket and giving a heartfelt speech to everyone in attendance, Gronk acknowledged it was time to party, grabbing a football and spiking it on stage.
And while his speech was full of fun anecdotes, with the tight end not showing an ounce of nerves during the 18-minute period, he admitted he didn't feel so secure before stepping up to the microphone.
"I wanted to throw up, I really did," Gronkowski said with a smile. ""I never really had that feeling. I was like, I want to puke a little bit. I'm that nervous."
But the tight end shared sweet sentiments about the place that became his home for so many years.
"New England will always be home," he said. "And I’ll always love you guys."
Gronkowski also had one clear message to the current and future members of the Patriots.
"Get after it, and bring home championships.”
So let's go over some of the best moments from Saturday's "fiesta"!
A Nice Red Jacket Needs Matching Pants
Rob Gronkowski went into the fitting for his jacket with one additional request.
“He was like, ‘Oh no, it’s just the jacket,’” Gronkowski recalled after asking if the tailor was going to take measurements for his legs too. “I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no. I’m getting pants, too. I don't want to show up. I don't want to be the one where I have to go out and search for pants that match the jacket."
In response, the tailor looked at him and said, "You know something? No one's ever done that before. We're gonna do it."
"And I was like, 'Yes, we are going to do it because I'm going to have holes in my pants if it's up to me to find pants,' he added. "So we got it done."
Camille Kostek Jinxed Him!
As Gronkowski was talking, he was listing numerous things that football has taught him, one of which is resiliency. However, he stumbled while saying the word, struggling with the pronunciation. And apparently, his girlfriend, Camille Kostek, jinxed him, saying he was bound to mess up on that word.
"Play after play. The discipline, the accountability, the resiliency. Camille said 'you can't say that word, take it out,'" he said with a laugh. "She jinxed me, she jinxed me. Well, you need that word because you need it because it's unmatched to play this game. Resiliency. Resiliency. Hey, I got knocked down. I got right back up."
The Dent In The Lombardi Trophy
After Super Bowl 53, Gronkowski brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Boston Red Sox's home opener on April 9 and decided it would be a good idea to use it as a bat, swinging at a pitch from Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman.
The result: a huge dent in the back of the Lombardi Trophy.
"If any other player had done this, we might have been a little bit upset, and we would have definitely gotten it fixed," Patriots owner Jonathan Kraft recalled. "But it was the perfect permanent physical impression that Rob could leave on the franchise."
Jonathan also shared a sweet sentiment about his father, Robert, who was unable to attend after getting back surgery, detailing how every time Robert walks into the trophy room, he looks at that one first and smiles while just saying "Gronk."
Tom Brady Makes An Appearance
While the Patriots normally hold their Hall of Fame celebration earlier in the season, they had one very special reason for waiting until November to do so. And that was because of the way the NFL schedule worked, with FOX waiting until Week 9 to send Tom Brady to New England to call his first game there as a broadcaster. The quarterback wanted to be in attendance to support and celebrate his former teammate, and was introduced right before the tight end as one of the Patriot Hall of Famers.
As he walked up, the crowd erupted in "Brady" chants.
“It means everything (to have him here)” Gronkowski said. “It worked out perfect. We’re both with FOX doing the broadcast … just to have him up on stage, he wanted to be here … Tom could be anywhere else. He’s the greatest player of all time. It just meant a lot to myself, to my family, and to the fans, I’m sure.”
'Threw Him Right Out Of The Club'
It takes a lot to get Bill Belichick to smile, but Gronkowski was able to do so a few times over the years, and one of those moments was when he spiked Colts defensive back Sergio Brown.
“It was the height of the Patriots-Colts rivalry, and Rob, as you’ve heard a bunch of people reference, threw Sergio Brown ‘out of the club’ but it took place right below where we were sitting. And I am telling you, he just obliterated him," Jonathan said. "He picked him up and he spiked him and he threw him into the ground."
Gronkowski also remembers this quite fondly.
"There was a safety yapping, yapping, you know, talking trash all game long," Gronkowski said. "I took him and threw him right out of the club, right out of bounds. Classic, and even got Bill to smile. And still to this day, that safety has yet to sniff a dance floor. You talk trash to the Gronkster, I'll teach you a lesson."
The Infamous Pre-Draft Visit
While it might have seemed like Gronkowski becoming a member of the Patriots was written in the stars, neither he nor Belichick felt that way after his pre-draft visit. Ahead of the 2010 draft, Gronkowski stepped into a meeting after having flown across the country and put his head down for a few moments before it began. He ultimately fell asleep.
This has been told so many different times over the years, but the tight end provided some new details that he had never shared before.
"I literally laid my head down on the table and took a nap," Gronkowski said. "Coach (Belichick), I just just didn't understand at the time that's called recovery, buddy. Well, after that situation, a couple coaches then drew up a play on the board, erased it, asked me about the routes. I had no clue. I was tired and hungover, which they still don't know. Just told on myself.
"So basically, I said, 'Just throw me the ball. I'll catch it and watch what I do.' They secretly loved it."
Thank You's
During his speech, Gronkowski took a few minutes to share some heartfelt thank-yous to many important members of his life, including family as well as former coaches.
Among them was, of course, Bill Belichick.
"The greatest of all time, no question about it," the tight end expressed. "Thank you for doing whatever you felt necessary to get me to play at a high level. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to put our teams in the best possible situations. And thank you for drafting this so-called a-hole who would only talk about hot tubs on his pre-draft visits."
And Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family.
"To the best owners in sports, Robert Kraft, Jonathan, and the whole Kraft family, you guys are true champions," he said. "Thank you for everything, and I mean everything the Kraft family has done for this organization, for the community, for myself, and showing how to lead at the highest level in life."
A Panel To Remember
Gronkowski is known for his wild ways and crazy stories over the years, and he was joined by many of his former teammates as they all remembered the memories they created over the years. Specifically, a player podium including Matthew Slater, Danny Amendola, Rob Ninkovich, Matt Light, and Nico Koutouvides provided the crowd with some great laughs.
Amendola recalled one practice where the team was in San Diego to play the Chargers, having flown out there a week before straight from Green Bay.
"Our coach was a little bit scared that the other team was going to see our plays," the former receiver recalled. "So they put up tape against the walls or like some fencing against the fence, and so you can't see. You can't. Nobody could film our plays, and coach made us wear, offense in all blue shirts, defense in gray shirts, kind of just like the stock shirts they give us, and nobody had numbers."
But, Gronkowski didn't like that and needed to distinguish himself some way.
"Gronk had the brilliant idea of taping his favorite number to the back of his shirt," Amendola added. Gronk, what was that number?"
The tight end's answer: "87 minus 18."
More Moments
- Matt Light gave Gronkowski a t-shirt that read, "Yo soy Hall of Famer," referencing the tight end's iconic "Yo soy fiesta" line after the 2011 AFC Championship.
- Gronkowski on having Dunkin rename the local stores to "Gronkin" ahead of his Hall of Fame induction: "That’s when you know you’ve made it in New England."
- Travis Kelce caught a stray from Patriots former linebacker Rob Ninkovich: “[Travis] Kelce and [Rob Gronkowski] don’t even come close. He’s a receiver, and he’s a tight end.”
- Robert Kraft sends a video message, having missed the celebration due to his recovery from back surgery: "There’s no one like you that can do it. And as much pain as I had doing what I just did. The pain of missing this celebration and having the privilege of putting you into the Hall of Fame with a red jacket is so disappointing to me. I love you, man.”
- Julian Edelman sends a video message: "We could go hours talking about how dominant of a player you were in the run and pass game. But the one thing that was a true inspiration is how you handled your day-to-day life. You always had a smile on your face, and that was inspirational for crazy guys like me that didn’t always see the greatness of everything. You were the best teammate. You were a joy to be around. You made everyone wanna have fun.I love you, and welcome to the Patriots Hall of Fame.”
- LB Niko Koutouvides might not get another invite to speak again at Gillette Stadium: "I'm going to ask all children here, whatever you hear, do not ask any questions after this, OK?"
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: 8 takeaways from Rob Gronkowski's Patriots Hall of Fame induction
