“Rob Gronkowski was put on this earth for two things,” Patriots President Jonathan Kraft said on a rainy Saturday afternoon just outside of Gillette Stadium “To play football and to make people happy.”
Kraft was introducing Gronkowski in front of a crowd of thousands of Patriots fans there to watch the All-Pro Tight End get his red jacket and become a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame. Gronk was joined onstage by other members of the Pats hall, including offensive tackle Matt Light, linebacker Andre Tippett, and wide receiver Stanley Morgan. But there was, of course, one HoFer that stood out above the rest: the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.
Earlier on in Kraft’s speech, he referenced the cold and the fact that the Patriots predominantly host Hall of Fame ceremonies during the warmer months. But Sunday was Brady and Fox’s first game scheduled in Foxborough in 2026, and he insisted on being there to support Gronkowski.
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NBA PLAYBOI CARTI X M&N HARDWOOD CLASSICS JERSEY 1996-97 PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
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While Brady didn’t speak during Gronk’s ceremony, he sat there laughing along with all of the stories that fully support Kraft’s sentiment.
Brady had a busy week in New England, kicking things off in downtown Boston at one of his newer Card Vault by Tom Brady locations. The seven-time Super Bowl Champ was joined at the store by four winners of an exclusive experience provided by Verizon’s Shine program.
“There’s a great Verizon Shine program, we have this group of people that get to come out to Card Vault on this very special weekend in Boston,” Brady said. “We ripped some packs, it’s a great day.”
On top of Gronk’s Hall of Fame induction, the Patriots were also celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the 2016-17 Super Bowl team that capped off the season with the greatest comeback in sports history. Dozens of Patriots were in town for the celebration, including wide receivers Danny Amendola and Chris Hogan who joined another group of Verizon Shine winners on a Duck Boat tour of the city Sunday morning ahead of the game.
One common theme that continued to come up throughout the weekend was Rob Gronkowski’s utter dominance on the field. Whether it was his countless playoff records at the tight end position, the story of him throwing Sergio Brown out of the club, or hearing first-hand accounts from his former teammates, the message was clear.
“I think so,” Brady said when asked if Gronk is the GOAT tight end.” For me, there’s no one I’d rather play with at that position. How he performed in the big moments, that’s what it’s all about. He was going to win on safeties, he was going to win on linebackers, there was not a matchup that didn’t work for him.”
“Without question, yeah,” Amendola said with a laugh as if to question if there was a legitimate argument to be made against it. “Size and speed, his football skills, larger than life character, man. He’s unlike any other.”
“He’s got the Hall of Fame here man, and then the next stop is Canton for sure,” Hog said.
