Rob Gronkowski Rips New England Patriots' 'Super Bowl' Celebration
Infamous for his "special" commercials for USAA, Rob Gronkowski found the New England Patriots' latest victory to be anything but.
Gronkowski used his latest appearance on Fanduel's "Up & Adams" to rip into his Foxborough successors' overexuberance over last Sunday's surprise 29-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Fellow tight end Mike Gesicki scored the game-winning touchdown from a yard away with 12 seconds remaining, igniting a celebration that featured, in Gesicki's own words, the "most embarrassing" Griddy dance. His offensive teammates joined him in the end zone, basking in the brief reprieve from the Patriots' worst start since 1995.
That rubbed Gronkowski the wrong way, as the current NFL ledgers declare that the Patriots (2-5) have nothing to celebrate. The legendary tight end recalled "getting hounded" by head coach Bill Belichick for similar displays and that was during the Patriots' glory days far from the AFC East basement.
Rob Gronkowski was not a fan of the Patriots' party in the end zone during an unexpected win over Buffalo
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“They just won one game and they celebrated, like, more than we would when we won a Super Bowl,” Gronkowski told host Kay Adams and guest/former Patriots teammate Patrick Chung. “That was, like, one of the most absurd celebrations. I’m like, ‘Wow, they won a game.’ They went that crazy. They’re acting like they’ve never been there before.”
Gronkowski is not the only NFL legend to take offense to the Patriots' pleasure, as he was previously joined by New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Chung, a long-tenured secondary defender in New England, concurred with Gronkowski's memories, recalling that Belichick had an issue with the simple act of asking the Gillette Stadium crowd to raise the volume. He was, however, a bit more lenient on the current crop of Patriots, reasoning that "times are different," especially when dealing with younger players.
"It’s a division win, very much needed,” Chung said. “That’s a big booster for the team. Whatever they got to do, celebrate all you want to, just win some more games, we’ll be good.”
Time will tell if the modern Patriots earn their privilege to celebrate, but the road ahead certainly won't make it easy: New England hits the road this coming Sunday to face AFC East-leading Miami Dolphins in South Beach, where they'll look to generate a winning streak (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
