One of the last times Rob Gronkowski conversed with Bill Belichick, the Patriots coach dropped his signature hoodie for shorts and flip-flops at a Miami beach bash.
“It was at the Gronk Beach party, that was super cool of him,” Gronkowski recalled Wednesday on Kyle Brandt’s “10 Questions” podcast.
“All my friends, they were flipping out that he was there,” the Buccaneers tight end continued.
Gronkowski spent nine seasons in New England with Belichick before retiring in early 2019. The five-time Pro Bowler later joined Fox Sports as an NFL analyst and hosted the epic Gronk Beach event during Super Bowl weekend in February 2020. Belichick attended the bash with girlfriend Linda Holliday.
“I feel like it was cool to see him in that setting, I’ve never seen him in a colorful shirt, and his flip-flops and chillin,” Gronkowski’s longtime love, “Wipeout” co-host Camille Kostek, also told Brandt.
Gronkowski — who has since un-retired to join Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — also recounted how his pals hounded Belichick for selfies during the star-studded event.
“They were like, ‘Let’s take a picture with him.’ They were all going up to him to take a selfie with him, and you could tell he was like, ‘What the heck did I come here? Why did I come here?’” Gronkowski said. “It was cool to see my friends, just to get that excitement that he was there.”
Although the two haven’t caught up in some time — no congratulatory text post-Super Bowl 55 — Belichick did appreciate Gronkowski’s commentating skills during the 2019 season.
“I made a comment about the Cowboys, that Jerry Jones needs to get the Cowboys in shape and get them on the right track because they need to practice outside and not in a bubble because they played the game in New England and it was snowing out and it was raining out, too, and it was cold and you could tell they weren’t prepared,” Gronkowski said of the Patriots’ win over the Cowboys in November 2019.
“He hit me up, he texted me, he’s like, ‘That’s true, Rob. That’s why we practice outside all the time.’ Which we do,” Gronkowski continued.
Fortunately for Gronkowski, he’ll be practicing in a warmer climate compared to New England next season, as he signed a one-year, $10 million deal to return to the Buccaneers.
