Morning sports update: Rob Gronkowski reportedly ‘deep in talks’ with WWE
The former Patriots tight end could appear at wrestling events as soon as late March.
Tuukka Rask notched his 50th career shutout in a 2-0 win over the Flyers on Tuesday. Boston became the first team in the NHL to reach 100 points this season.
And the Celtics defeated the Pacers 114-111. Jayson Tatum lead Boston in scoring with 30 points.
Rob Gronkowski reportedly close to joining World Wrestling Entertainment: Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is close to becoming a professional wrestler, according to a report from FS1’s WEE Backstage.
Gronkowski, 30, is “deep in talks,” and could appear on WWE “SmackDown” by March 20.
The former tight end — who retired from football a year ago in March — has a history with wrestling. He participated in a 2017 event (WrestleMania 33) alongside wrestler Mojo Rawley.
Gronkowski hosted Rawley, as well as WWE executives Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Stephanie McMahon at his Super Bowl party in February. Bill Belichick and Linda Holliday were also in attendance:
Thanks for the invite to the Beach Party @RobGronkowski … maybe you should come to our party in Boston … heard it’s the biggest of the summer. @StephMcMahon pic.twitter.com/eRQ8z0UmQI
— Triple H (@TripleH) February 1, 2020
In August, Gronkowski offered a comment on his possible wrestling future.
“With wrestling, I don’t feel like I would be a full-time wrestler, but there is one thing I’m down for,” Gronkowski said at a sponsor’s event. “And that’s to do one crazy match. Practice it for a little bit, go out there — like in a Royal Rumble — go out there, I got my friend in WWE [Rawley], practice it and do a full-on WWE match. I’m not saying when, maybe five years. I got the rest of my life to do that. I’ve always dreamed about doing that, just one time, going in there and going full-out. That may be a possibility, one time, down the road.”
Despite continued speculation about an NFL comeback during the 2019 season, Gronkowski — who was a part of three Super Bowl-winning teams in New England over nine seasons — has so far remained retired from football.
Trivia: The 1998 Red Sox pitching staff included three Cy Young Award winners. Can you name all three?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: One won Cy Youngs with the Expos and Red Sox, another won two with the Royals, and the third won his as a relief pitcher.
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- We don’t want to imagine sports events without fans — but we must
- 4 Red Sox players cracked ESPN’s 2020 MLB Top 100 rankings
- The Ivy League has canceled its conference basketball tournaments
- Mike Gorman: ‘I think we’re going to be playing games in empty arenas pretty soon’
Zdeno Chara launched another opponent’s stick into the sky in Tuesday’s game
:
Chara sent Couturier’s stick to the rafters. 😂#IceSurfing pic.twitter.com/7wOumDs202
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 11, 2020
Revolution coach Bruce Arena had some jokes after Tuesday’s practice:
📹 Bruce Arena made a few zingers today before talking about the seriousness of dealing with the coronavirus #NERevs #WBZ pic.twitter.com/3yQyOXk3hK
— Joe Giza (@JoeGiza) March 10, 2020
Mikaela Shiffrin announced the race where she will mark her World Cup return following the death of her father in February:
Åre has held a special place in my heart since the beginning of my career, and it feels like the right place to rejoin my World Cup family and try to race again. That said, the heartbreak remains, so I will be limiting my interactions with the media, fans, and competitors. 💛 pic.twitter.com/gxn2ElIqg6
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) March 11, 2020
On this day: In 1990, Larry Bird scored 41 points in a 107-105 win over the 76ers. Philadelphia forward Charles Barkley had a shot at a game-winner, but missed.
Daily highlight: Jayson Tatum with the coast-to-coast dunk.
unst0️⃣ppable https://t.co/qGkx1XabFw
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 10, 2020
Trivia answer: Pedro Martinez, Bret Saberhagen, and Dennis Eckersley.
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