Rob Gronkowski’s Patriots Hall of Fame day had the full Gronk treatment: jokes, old stories, a little chaos, and Tom Brady in the building to help set the tone.
The ceremony unfolded Saturday afternoon at Patriot Place Plaza, where more than a thousand fans showed up despite the rain to watch Gronkowski get his red jacket. The crowd spilled across the plaza, packed the stairs by the shops and restaurants, and lined the fence outside the Harp for a better view of the stage.
Gronkowski arrived in the unmistakable all-red look that comes with Patriots Hall of Fame induction, and he immediately turned one of the day’s first moments into a punchline. During his fitting, he said he asked the tailor to measure his legs, too.
“He was like, ‘Oh no, it’s just the jacket,’” Gronkowski recalled. “I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, no.
I’m getting pants, too.’ I’m going to have holes in my pants if it’s up to me to find pants.”
The guest list matched the occasion. Brady was there in his own red jacket while in town with Fox’s broadcast crew for Sunday’s Patriots-Packers game.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel also attended, along with Danny Amendola, David Andrews, Malcolm Butler, Patrick Chung, Stephen Gostkowski, Chris Hogan, Brian Hoyer, Matt Light, Rob Ninkovich, and Matthew Slater. Julian Edelman, Gronkowski’s podcast partner, sent a video message, and owner Robert Kraft did the same while recovering from back surgery.
The afternoon leaned into what made Gronkowski such a unique figure in New England: the big plays, sure, but also the personality that came with them. He told stories that got the crowd roaring, including the one about falling asleep during his pre-draft visit with the Patriots because he was hungover.
He also remembered Berj Najarian calling to tell him to stop celebrating with his brothers on stage after New England drafted him in the second round in 2010. And he revisited the NFL lockout days, when he was dancing at college pool parties.
Matt Light added to the fun by presenting Gronkowski with a T-shirt that said, “Yo soy Hall of Famer” - a nod to Gronkowski’s famous “Yo soy fiesta” line after the 2011 AFC Championship.
For 90 minutes, the event stayed true to the man at the center of it. Gronkowski spiked a Packers helmet. He stumbled over the word, “resiliency,” during his speech and said Kostek had warned him ahead of time that he probably should have cut it.
“He is who he is,” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. “For a while, I think sometimes people thought that was a schtick.
And it’s not. We got to see that daily.”
Brady didn’t speak, but he still drew a warm response from the crowd and plenty of praise - and a little teasing - from Gronkowski. Gronkowski said Brady’s approach shaped his own.
“I saw how Tom worked, I saw what it took to be great, and I wanted to be at that level,” Gronkowski said. “Sometimes I hated staying after practice, like, ‘Oh Rob, run an extra route.’
Why do I got to run an extra route? Finally, it all clicked.”
McDaniels also pointed to Gronkowski’s game-day impact, saying there were certain players who changed the feel of a team the moment they stepped on the field.
“When you have certain people on your teams that come out before the games, there’s just some people that are different,” McDaniels said. “Everybody would refer to Tom.
Certainly, when Tom is on your team, you have a chance to win. There’s other players I feel that way about.
[Gronk] was one of the rare guys, that when he came out there for pre-game on game day, you just knew, like, we have somebody that they don’t match up well with.”
Gronkowski’s career numbers back up the celebration. He finished with NFL records for a tight end, including most receiving touchdowns in a season with 17 in 2011, most career postseason receiving yards with 1,163, most career postseason receptions with 81, and most career receiving touchdowns with 12.
The community response around Foxborough matched the scene inside the ceremony. Even Dunkin’ on Route 1 got in on the moment, changing its signage to “Gronkin’” for the weekend.
“That’s when you know you’ve made it in New England,” he said. “That’s one of one.
I’m at the top. No one else ever got Dunkin’ Donuts named after them like that.”
Gronkowski’s day wasn’t done when the ceremony ended. He had to head to West Point for Fox’s Veteran’s Day pre-game show, then planned to return to Foxborough for the rest of the weekend.
“I’m flying right back for the game and tomorrow night will be a celebration with all of my teammates and family,” he said.
He closed it the only way he really could: “Now let’s fiesta!”
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