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Rob Gronkowski is opening up about his decision to leave New England — admitting they weren’t exactly an easy organization to play for … but he respects the guys in charge.
“I’m very thankful for the 9 years I had with the New England Patriots,” Gronk said during a call with reporters on Wednesday … “I had the best coach, hands down. [Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft] are two guys I look up to.”
“I’m not going to sit here and say that’s an easy organization to play for. What I’ve learned there, I’m definitely going to take it with me.”
Gronk didn’t get into details about why it was a tough place to play but it seems obvious — it was an all work, no play kind of a job.
During Wednesday’s call, Gronk also explained how influential Tom Brady has been in his decision to come back to the NFL.
“I was interested to see where [Brady] was gonna go. That was his decision to make. Playing with Tom is special. Building a connection with a quarterback is special. We have a great chemistry out there. Doesn’t matter if we spend 1 or 6 months apart.”
After Tom selected Tampa Bay, Gronk says he started looking into the Bucs roster and was impressed with what he saw.
“I saw what was down there in Tampa, the offensive weapons. I love working with the tight ends as well. Seeing [Cameron Brate] and [O.J. Howard] down there, I’m excited to work with them.”
Gronk says his decision to retire from football in 2019 was motivated by real injury concerns — saying his body felt beat up and he needed a break.
“I couldn’t walk for weeks after the last Super Bowl from that quad contusion. It’s all for the love of the game. I was in some serious pain at times. For the last year, I let my body heal, let my body rest – it feels good. The whole focus is taking care of my body.”
Gronk also admits, “I had no fire last year” — but as time rolled by, “my body started feeling good.”
As far as his role on the team goes, Gronk says he’s down for ANYTHING — “If they need me to block, I’ll block. Want me to split out, I’ll split out. No matter the plays 60%, 100%, I’m down for whatever. Whatever helps the team.”