Rob Gronkowski Rides on New Boat While Reacting to Making Patriots Hall of Fame While on Video

Rob Gronkowski held a virtual press conference about his upcoming induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame from his new pontoon boat.

"Yes, I'm on a boat right now, I'm down in Florida... It's my first day on it, so I'm actually learning right now how to park it, and how to drive it, and it's going really well," Gronkowski said. "I'm already in the Hall of Fame with driving boats."

Gronkowski said he'd heard from the Patriots' most recent Hall of Fame inductee, Julian Edelman, after he was voted in.

Gronkowski is the 38th person to be voted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. The date for his induction ceremony will be announced after the Patriots' 2026 schedule is released, according to the team.

He earned a spot in the team Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, beating out finalists Adam Vinatieri and Logan Mankins via fan vote.

Gronkowski said he "started tearing up" when he heard the voicemail telling him he'd been inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.

The tight end also reminisced about what he described as an "outrageous" pre-draft interview during which he infamously fell asleep on the floor while talking to Patriots leadership including head coach Bill Belichick.

Belichick said in 2019 the Patriots ultimately took "a shot in the dark" by trading up to select Gronkowski in the second round of the 2010 draft.

"It's the best situation that I could have possibly endured, going to the New England Patriots... it was the organization I needed to be in," Gronkowski said. "Just a regime, and a schedule, and how everything was ran with Coach Belichick... I needed that tight-knit scheduling. I needed to be nitpicked on and coached hard as well, and that's the exact reason why I felt like I was drafted into the Patriots organization."

Gronkowski continued, "I had an outrageous interview. Outlandish, it was. There's no doubt about that. But there was one thing about it, because I was being myself, and at the same time: I called my agent Drew, right after the interview... I said, 'This team either loves me, or they just crossed me off their board and there's absolutely no chance that they're drafting me.' And in the end, they loved me."

Gronkowski spent nine seasons with Brady and the Patriots, a span during which he won three Super Bowls and earned five Pro Bowl nods.

By the time he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season, Gronkowski ranked third among all NFL tight ends in career receiving touchdowns only to Pro Football Hall of Famers Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez.

Gronkowski will be eligible for his own induction to the Hall of Fame in Canton in 2027. Before then, he will join Edelman, Brady and Belichick as the 38th person enshrined in Foxborough.