Rob Gronkowski Hilariously Reveals That Tom Brady Was Mean To Him As A Rookie

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski form one of the greatest QB pass catching duos in the history of the NFL, and they have a great bond off the field as well. Ever since Rob Gronkowski entered the league in 2010, he has played with Tom Brady. First, the pair made their mark together on the New England Patriots, and now they’re looking to form a new dynasty with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In fact, the only reason Gronk is still playing in the league currently is because of Tom Brady. The legendary tight end had retired for a year, citing injuries and mental health as the primary reason he wanted to step away for a bit. That season was also Brady’s last in New England. 

Their climb to 90 career regular season touchdown connections started off relatively rough in 2010 when they played for the New England Patriots. At least for Gronkowski, who told the media on Dec. 8 that it challenged him as a rookie tight end to grow from just running for a catch to honing the fine details of becoming an elite NFL pass catcher.

“Yeah, he was. He was a meanie — meanie pants,” Gronkowski said with a laugh during a Dec. 8 press conference. “But it was basically just to get me on the same page. I think he saw that potential that I had and just get me going and everything. Get on the same communication, the same wavelength, so we can make some plays.”

Brady didn’t minimize Gronkowski’s rookie memories, either. “It was intentional. I had to try to toughen him up a little bit,” the Bucs quarterback said on Dec. 9. “I’ve got to see what I’m working with, you know? Kids have it so easy these days. We’ve got to try to challenge them a little bit.”

Well, If the two continue to play for a few more seasons, it’s not unreasonable to think that they might beat Manning and Harrison’s record. They stand 22 touchdowns away from tying the regular season record (112) and only 11 away from tying both regular season and postseason touchdowns 114 combined.