Rob Gronkowski reflects on relationship with Bill Belichick at retirement presser

On Wednesday afternoon at Gillette Stadium, former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski signed a one-day contract with the team to retire a Patriot. 

Gronkowski, who won three Super Bowls as a member of the team, decided to come back and sign the contract in memory of former Patriots cheerleader Susan Hurley. The founder of CharityTeams passed away on Nov. 1, and along with Gronkowski, helped build the Gronk Playground in Boston. 

After signing his final contract, Gronkowski reflected on his favorite memories as a Patriot, and most notably took time to discuss his — somewhat tumultuous at times — relationship with Bill Belichick.

“Coach made a huge impact on my career,” Gronkowski said. “I mean, I wouldn't be here without this organization, without Coach (Belichick), without my teammates, without RKK, without anyone that I had tenured time here with and spent some quality time with here in the organization. 

While a younger Gronkowski may have not fully appreciated Belichick’s coaching style, the future Hall of Famer has a different view on it now. He even continues to apply some of the lessons his former coach taught him in his analyst role at FOX. 

“Coach Belichick, one thing he truly taught me is preparation and how to prepare for games and how to prepare for the upcoming Sunday,” Gronkowski said. “I'm implying that into my life as well, big time. I mean, if I prepare going into Fox on Sunday, I feel like I have a good day. If I slack off a little bit, I think it makes it a little bit harder.” 

The coach and player dynamic wasn’t always great between the two, especially towards the end. In 2018, Belichick tried to trade Gronkowski to Detroit before the tight end said he would only play for the Patriots — more specifically Tom Brady. 

New England eventually traded the tight end to Tampa Bay after a short retirement stint to reunite with his quarterback. Gronkowski would go on to win his fourth Super Bowl with the Bucs and Brady, catching two touchdowns against the Chiefs.

In recent years, Gronkowski had come out in support of his former coach, who was receiving backlash due to the airing of “The Dynasty" series on Apple TV. Gronkowski came to the defense of Belichick with MassLive’s Karen Guregian during the "Eye on Foxborough" podcast.

“He set the standard. Coach Belichick was the standard,” Gronkowski said. “And without him, none of this was possible. There’s no doubt about that. And to see him go was sad. I mean, I had a tear. Without him, like I said, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” 

In the end, despite ending his career with Brady and Tampa, Gronkowski confirmed that he will always view himself as a Patriot. 

“I’m a Patriot for life,” Gronkowski said. “My career started here, 100% it needed to end here.”