The past working relationship between Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been obsessed over and broken down more times than the Da Vinci Code. No one knows that better than legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski, who recently found himself in the crosshairs of a long line of conspiracies.
The tinfoil-wearing folks believe it was always the plan for him to come out of retirement and reunite with Brady on another team outside of New England.
However, long before he scores his first touchdown and spikes his first football as a Buccaneer, Gronkowski recently made it a point to spike those lingering rumors to rest.
“No, no that actually was really never the case,” Gronkowski told WEEI. “As a player, you always want to see what it’s like somewhere else. [I] thought of that before definitely after playing nine years in the NFL and also thought about it when I came out of retirement. …I loved my time in New England, no doubt about it. But it was another opportunity that presented. But no, we never really ever talked about that before. It kind of just happened. [With] my retirement and him hitting free agency, it kind of just lined up like that.”
The football gods certainly appear to be smiling on the Buccaneers right now.
Fate has essentially put Gronkowski on a squad with his former teammate, along with multiple stud offensive playmakers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. It’s basically an offensive all-star team. Of course, Gronkowski faces an uphill battle given his long injury history.
It was nearly a year ago when he was giving an emotional speech regarding the toll football was taking on his body.
He’s either feeling better after taking an entire year off, or there’s an iota of truth to the speculation that maybe, just maybe, the “Patriot Way” was sapping his love for football.
You be the judge.