A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick left. No matter how things ended on a bitter note, Belichick still remains an asset for the team, having won six Super Bowls. While he had distanced himself from the Patriots over the past few years, he made a surprise appearance at a Patriots event in Foxborough. Unfortunately, the former New England tight end Rob Gronkowski missed the reunion.
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“Waxio Connors. It’s now Conrad’s,” shared Gronkowski on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams. “But Davio, there was a huge celebration that night on Saturday night, but unfortunately I had to go to West Point and celebrate with the troops for Veterans Day on the Fox show. So I didn’t get to celebrate with my teammates on Saturday night and my family. But I heard just so many stories about it Saturday night, everyone at Davios, which you know, I wish I could have been there, but unfortunately I just couldn’t. I had work. I had things to do on Sunday morning.”
The event that Gronkowski talked about was the Patriots’ 2016 reunion after-party. It took place in Davio’s Steakhouse at Patriot Place on Saturday night. And how could Belichick not show up?
A decade after their remarkable Super Bowl LI triumph, the Patriots brought the championship team back into the spotlight last weekend. That memorable 34-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons marked the fourth of Belichick’s six Super Bowl titles with the franchise.
The celebrations also featured Gronkowski’s induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame as its 38th member. In his speech, Gronkowski acknowledged how Belichick played a huge role in shaping his career.
“Coach Belichick, he’s coaching some college team right now. But the greatest of all time, no question about it,” the former tight end said on the stage. “Thank you for doing whatever you felt necessary to get me to play at a high level. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to put our teams in the best possible situations. And thank you for drafting this so-called a-hole who would only talk about hot tubs on his pre-draft visits.”
Maybe Gronkowski was not expecting Belichick to crash into the after-party. After all, the North Carolina Tar Heels head coach has been on the hot seat for quite some time now. They are now standing at 5-4. Belichick had a big responsibility to resurrect a team from a 6-7 record. But he still could not fight the urge to reunite with the Super Bowl-winning team.
As Gronkowski missed the golden chance, the former New England head coach had some praise to share.
“[He] was the best tight end in football during his time and one of the best of all time,” Belichick said. “[I’m] proud of Rob and what he’s accomplished. He came a long, long way from barely playing in college in Arizona. … Credit to him, his work ethic, his toughness and his dependability. I mean, it’s a hard position to play but he excelled at it for a long time.
“Wouldn’t have won as many games as I did without him, I can tell you that. He’s a big part of it,” Belichick added.
Gronkowski was back in uniform, although this time it wasn’t his familiar Patriots gear for Veterans Day on Fox. The former NFL star appeared before the Army cadets dressed in the military’s brand-new green uniform, with his helmet concealing his identity. What began as a mystery appearance quickly turned into a surprise reveal when Gronk took off his helmet and showed the cadets who was underneath.