Rob Gronkowski says he got into trouble with Patriots on draft night

Feb 7, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Rob Gronkowski at Fox Sports media day at the Phoenix Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Just how tough of an organization were the New England Patriots running under Bill Belichick? It was so tough that Rob Gronkowski remembers getting into trouble in just his first minutes with the team.

Gronkowski was one of the former Patriots players who were interviewed for “The Dynasty: New England Patriots” on Apple TV+. In the program, Gronk revealed that the Patriots told him to cool it on his celebrations after he had been drafted by the team No. 42 overall in 2010.

The Patriot way knows no exceptions, @RobGronkowski

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“They said, ‘Hey, Rob. You can get off the stage now. Enough is enough,'” Gronk recalled the team telling him over the phone.

“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!'”

Gronk developed a public persona of a party animal, but the truth is he was an extremely hard worker who ended up putting together a Hall of Fame career. In nine seasons with the Patriots, Gronk amassed 521 catches for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns. He followed that up with two big seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and 2021 where he caught 13 touchdowns.

Gronk was also a standout in the postseason and had 15 touchdown catches during the playoffs, while winning three Super Bowls. The 34-year-old former tight end made five Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro.

Gronk may have been full of personality and celebrations, but he turned out to be a great player for New England.