The New England Patriots were supposed to spend the offseason with wind in their sails from a surprise 14-3 season that culminated in a Super Bowl appearance. Instead, the controversy surrounding the alleged affair between their head coach, Mike Vrabel, and NFL insider Diana Rusini marred their offseason. With the Patriots approaching this season with arguably more offseason heat than any other NFL team, franchise legend Rob Gronkowski has a seemingly simple solution for his former employer.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Gronkowski was direct about the solution: ward off controversy by winning.

“It’s as easy as this: win. You win,” he told Scott Thompson of Fox News. “You come together as a team. You work together, you work your butt off. Everyone has to show that they’re accountable during training camp. That they’re accountable during the preseason. Once the regular season comes, you gotta win, baby. If you win, it solves all problems. It really does. It’s crazy how winning in the NFL, it truly does and you’re good to go there.”

Vrabel and the Patriots have faced controversies in the past—be it the Spygate controversy in 2007, the Tuck Rule Game controversy in 2002, or the Deflategate controversy in 2015—and overcome them by winning. They are likely eager for the season to begin, shifting focus from scandal to football. And as Gronk alluded to, that all starts under the summer heat of training camp.

The controversy started when Vrabel and Russini appeared at a private resort. Both are married; both deny an affair. Vrabel has unsurprisingly attempted to keep the focus all on football in the recently concluded minicamp. The last time he alluded to the controversy was in May 2026.

“We all have to deal with things outside of here. My focus and obviously the excitement that I have for coaching is what is most important right now. My family is great. I love Jen. I love the boys,” Vrabel said to reporters during minicamp.

The Patriots, on their part, have actually taken a step forward with what Grok was alluding to, winning football games. Earlier this month, they traded for Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, sending a 2028 first-round and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The trade gives Drake Maye, their third-year QB and MVP finalist, the true number-one receiver he lacked last season. This move was especially crucial after Stefon Diggs’ departure this offseason. So, on paper, they seemed poised for another strong campaign, this time, though, with unrealistic expectations based on their success last season.

Gronk saw success in New England while navigating major controversies. And they were arguably even more significant than what Vrabel and his squad are going through.

Rob Gronkowski has seen winning overcome controversy before

Gronk was arguably part of the best run in the Patriots’ dynasty. In nine seasons, Gronk made the playoffs every year, reached five Super Bowls, and won three. This all came amid some of the most notorious controversies a team had to go through.

The first one was in 2013 when Gronk’s fellow tight end, Aaron Hernandez, was arrested and convicted of murder. The news sent the entire league into shock when it found out that there was an active murderer who was suiting up for the Patriots weekly. But the Patriots, under the leadership of Bill Belichick, could compartmentalize it, and they won Super Bowl XLIX, which came right between Hernandez’s arrest in 2013 and his conviction in 2015.

A few years later, one of the biggest controversies in league history, Deflategate, mired the organization. This controversy, which involved the Patriots allegedly knowingly deflating the balls in the 2014 AFC Conference Championship, resulted in a four-game suspension for Tom Brady, the team giving up its top draft pick in 2016, and a $1 million fine.

So, in some ways, the Vrabel/Russini controversy seems pale in comparison.

Gronk’s advice echoes Al Davis’s famous “Just Win Baby,” the perfect cure for the Patriots’ ailments right now.