Rob Gronkowski was the latest cornerpiece of Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots dynasty to lament his former head coach’s Hall of Fame snub.
Belichick reportedly won’t make the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot, a jarring outcome for a coach with eight Super Bowl wins (six as a head coach) and the most playoff victories in NFL history. Tom Brady was among the ex-Patriots stars to chastise the “ridiculous” outcome, and Gronkowski later joined a crowded line of critics.
Gronkowski reacted to Belichick’s Hall of Fame denial during Thursday’s appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
“It’s completely just absurd that Coach Belichick was not a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Gronkowski declared.
The legendary tight end ran through Belichick’s credentials that would seemingly make him an obvious selection before highlighting the intangible mark the 73-year-old has left on football.
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“He touched so many lives as well, and he gave so many opportunities to so many different players and coaches to succeed,” Gronkowski said. “I would not be sitting here right next to Jimmy Fallon if it wasn’t for Coach Belichick drafting me in 2010 to the New England Patriots. So, Coach Belichick, thank you for everything you have done. You are a first-ballot Hall of Famer in everyone else’s book.”
The surprising development may give Patriots fans the chance to celebrate two franchise icons in Canton next year. Gronkowski is first eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 2027, so he and Belichick could get inducted together a year before Brady enters the ballot.
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