Rob Gronkowski cameos at Luke Bryan’s Gillette Stadium concert
Country music superstar Luke Bryan brought retired Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski onstage to thunderous applause at his Gillette Stadium concert.
For one fateful evening, retired Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was seemingly un-retired once again, running routes and catching footballs at Gillette Stadium in front of thousands of adoring fans.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Tom Brady throwing Gronk passes, there was no end zone for No. 87 to find, and the day of the week was Friday, not Sunday.
Still, you’ll forgive all the people in attendance at country musician Luke Bryan’s show this past Friday night at Gillette Stadium for imagining that Rob Gronkowski was still playing football for them. After all, Gronkowski leaves behind a nine-year NFL career as one of the greatest players in Patriots history – if not league history overall.
Gronkowski surprised many by announcing his retirement last March from the game he’s so long dominated. Injuries and back problems have dogged the phenom since long before he was ever drafted by the Pats, so it’s hard to blame the charismatic Gronkowski for hanging up his cleats in order to focus on other endeavors.
All the same, many fans, some analysts, and more than a few players believe that Gronk could conceivably come back to the team one day if really needed… and/or if best bud Tom Brady made a strong pitch. The hope, of course, is that New England doesn’t miss a beat in Gronkowski’s absence this season – they’ve won a Super Bowl championship without him, after all – and that both sides can move forward with great prosperity and success independent of one another.
Even if Gronkowski never suits up for the Patriots again, though, it’s clear he’ll never be forgotten in the greater Boston area. That much was made obvious when Bryan told his fans mid-concert Friday night that someone wanted to “come out and say hello.”
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To the accompanying sound of a “deafening roar,” Gronkowski came out onstage at the one place he’s made his home away from home for the past nine years. The two celebrities interacted with a fan who had given Bryan a Gronkowski jersey – that Gronk autographed and then returned to the fan – and then even played a brief game of catch.
“I can now say I completed a pass to Gronk in Gillette Stadium,” Bryan reportedly told the crowd. “How cool is that?”
He certainly knew what he was doing when he invited Gronkowski onstage at a Gillette Stadium music concert. According to all the reports and videos taken from the show, it truly looked like one heck of a magical night in Foxborough, even if it was just a tad bittersweet.