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Rob Gronkowski fulfills late friend Susan Hurley’s wish by officially retiring as a Patriot
As she battled cancer, the late Susan Hurley requested for Gronkowski to officially retire as a Patriot. She got her wish.
FOXBOROUGH – Rob Gronkowski beamed as he walked into the media workroom at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday.
He immediately waved to several old teammates including David Andrews, Brian Hoyer, and Rob Ninkovich, who were there to support him as he signed a one-day contract with the Patriots to officially retire as a member of the franchise.
Team owner Robert Kraft jokingly asked if he could make it a two-day contract since the Patriots are set to host the Jets Thursday night.
“Let’s do it!” Gronkowski said enthusiastically. “What’s the signing bonus?”
“Some things never change,” Kraft said, as he chuckled.
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Gronkowski spoke for nearly twenty minutes, recalling his favorite moments of his Patriots career. It was a day of celebration in honor of the famed tight-end’s accomplishments, and he happily soaked it all in. But, he also made sure to remind everyone of the woman who inspired the gathering.
Susan Hurley, a former Patriots cheerleader who later founded CharityTeams, an organization that helps nonprofits raise money through athletic events, died from ovarian cancer at age 61 earlier this month.
“We are 100 percent here today for her, no doubt about that,” Gronkowski said.
She and Gronkowski were friends, and she made it clear that she wanted him to come back to Foxborough and retire with the franchise that drafted him. After working together for more than a decade to raise money for charity, Gronkowski made sure to honor the wish.
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She made her request at the opening of the Gronk Playground on the Esplanade in August. The Patriots held the ceremony the day before their first primetime home game of the season against rival New York.
“I’ve never seen someone have so much grace and so much passion for what they want to do and raise money for charities,” Gronkowski said. “She had that. I knew that she was going to be special. She did an excellent job when I was working with her for 10-plus years.
“She made it seamless. She made it easy,” he added. “She ran all the activities, all the events. She will have a lasting impact forever, especially being the main engine for opening up the Gronk Playground.”
Gronkowski is third on the all-time list for touchdown receptions amongst tight-ends with 92. He’s a four-time Super Bowl champion and a five-time Pro Bowler. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest tight-ends of all time.
“If you take ten plays, I’ll take him out of any tight-end who every played,” Ninkovich said. “His ability to stay in line and be a true Y tight-end on the line of scrimmage, strong-side, go and block somebody, crack coming back, the flash, the wham blocks.”
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“Then to split out and go one-on-one with the best linebackers and safeties,” he added. “If I had ten plays and it was any tight end in history that needs to go play it’s going to be Rob Gronkowski.”
When asked about his New England memories, he mentioned catching his first touchdown pass from Brian Hoyer and joked about it making Tom Brady jealous before saying how much it meant for him to beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. There were too many memorable catches over the course of his career for him to pick a favorite, he said.
Gronkowski thanked the New England fans for embracing his personality and helping him thrive during challenging parts in his career. He used his signature touchdown celebration, the Gronk Spike, as an example.
“It wasn’t like I had to do anything special out there, they just took who I was and blew it up to a whole other level,” Gronkowski said. “Like the Gronk Spike – I always wanted to spike a football and I just spiked it and they took it to another level like ‘oh the Gronk Spike is the greatest thing ever’.”
“The fans here in New England just made it so great. Me doing silly things off the field, they didn’t care,” Gronkowski said. “They’re like ‘oh that’s Gronk’. I got a free pass because of the fans accepting everything which was great. I appreciate everything and I appreciate the love from the fans and I always want to give love back whenever I can.”
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Gronkowski’s accomplishments and fun-loving personality made him a fan favorite in New England for nearly a decade.
On Wednesday, a request from a dying friend brought him back to Gillette Stadium for another chance to flash his smile, crack some jokes, and relive his glory days.
The positive energy during the ceremony was infectious as both the tight-end and his late friend were honored.
“I treasure the unforgettable moments that we shared,” Kraft said. “In my opinion, he’s actually one-of-a-kind. I don’t think he’s ever had a bad day, and if it’s true there’s an afterlife I think we’d all like to come back as Gronk.”
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