Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski topped off their time as NFL teammates with 4 Tremendous Bowl wins — however their friendship goes manner past what occurs on the sector.
Tremendous Bowl LV, which happened in February 2021, was the previous New England Patriots’ quarterback’s tenth championship look. As a Patriot, Brady’s staff received six of his 9 appearances.
As for the New York native, he performed in 4 Tremendous Bowl video games with the Pats, three of which led to wins. Every of his previous Tremendous Bowls have been performed with Brady — and their return to the large sport in February 2021 resulted in one other trophy for each of them — this time as Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady shocked New England sports activities followers by saying that he was leaving the Patriots for the Florida-based staff in March 2020. He launched a press release saying he could be “FOREVER A PATRIOT,” in a nod to his two-decade run with the staff.
“To all my teammates, coaches, executives and employees, Coach [Bill] Belichick, [owner Robert Kraft] and the Kraft household and the complete group, I need to say thanks for the previous twenty years of my life and the day by day dedication to successful and making a successful tradition constructed on nice values,” he started.
In September 2020, he appeared on an episode of Dax Shepard‘s “Armchair Skilled” podcast, the place he revealed that it wasn’t straightforward to stroll away from the staff. “It’s plenty of feelings, plenty of reminiscences,” he stated.
Gronkowski was retired on the time. He introduced his departure from the league in March 2019. “It began at 20 years outdated on stage on the NFL draft when my dream got here true, and now right here I’m about to show 30 in a number of months with a choice I really feel is the largest of my life to date. I will likely be retiring from the sport of soccer immediately,” he shared by way of Instagram.
Brady, for his half, reacted to the information with a message of assist. He commented on the Instagram publish, “Love you man!! The [greatest of all time]!! Couldn’t be a greater particular person or teammate!!!!”
The Entourage visitor star and College of Michigan alum aren’t simply teammates, nonetheless. They’ve a particular friendship that began in Massachusetts. They performed collectively on the Patriots for eight years earlier than being traded to the Buccaneers in 2020 — a transfer tight finish informed WEEI-FM wasn’t deliberate.
“As a participant, you all the time need to see what it’s like some other place. [I] considered that earlier than, positively after taking part in 9 years within the NFL and I additionally considered it after I got here out of retirement,” she stated in April 2020, including, “However no, we by no means actually talked about that earlier than. It type of simply occurred. With my retirement and him hitting free company, it simply type of lined up like that.”
Followers love their dynamic on and off the sector, it doesn’t matter what staff they play for. “Greatest good friend vibes like Gronk & Brady,” one particular person tweeted of the connection. One other soccer fan wrote, “I’m an embittered Texans fan, however I’ve to confess, I nonetheless discover the Brady-Gronk BFF factor kinda charming.”
When it got here time for Brady to hold up his cleats for good in February 2022, Gronkowski was one of many many associates who cheered him on for his previous success.
“Thanks in your dedication to the sport, placing the staff in the very best place to win yearly, all of the report[s] that have been damaged, the Tremendous Bowls, the reminiscences, and your friendship via the final 12 years,” the University of Arizona alum tweeted on the time.
Scroll via for a have a look at Brady and Gronkowski’s bromance via the years:
