Rob Gronkowski was already building his reputation as the NFL’s ultimate party animal during his playing days. But before the famous party buses, celebrity-filled nights and $100,000 bar tabs became part of the Gronk brand, the young New England Patriots tight end was still figuring out just how much his NFL status could get him.

During a recent appearance on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, Gronk was asked about one of his memories when he used his NFL player card to get something. Early in his career, Gronk decided to put that status to the test. What followed was far from the VIP treatment he expected, as he was denied entry in a nightclub.

“When I was in college, everyone told me, ‘Hey, you got the NFLPA card. You just flash it at a nightclub and boom, you skip the line, and you get let it.’ And I’m with my brother. It’s after my rookie season,” the former NFL tight end recalled. “We’re down at the Hard Rock in Fort Lauderdale. There is a huge line going to one of the clubs, and I go up to the front of the line, and I flash the NFLPA card to the bouncer.

“And I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m in the NFL. Can I get it?’ And he goes, ‘You can get to the back of the line.’ And I just felt like the biggest idiot at that moment. And I went to back of the line, and I waited for about half an hour to get into the club. And that’s when I realized trying to use your pole doesn’t always work. Never tried that again.”

Rob Gronkowski entered the NFL in 2010 and immediately became a big name. He finished his rookie season with 42 receptions, 546 yards, and 10 touchdowns. At the same time, his 10 receiving touchdowns set a franchise record for a rookie tight end and ranked second all-time among rookie right ends at the time, behind only Mike Ditka’s 12.

So, it won’t be wrong to say that celebrations in the offseason were totally expected. To make things better for him, Gronk had earlier admitted that his first offseason after his rookie season was unusually long because of the 2011 NFL lockout.

As the NFL and NFLPA failed to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement for months, players were not allowed to use the team facilities, and teams couldn’t communicate with current players in the normal offseason manner. As that happened, Gronkowski had an extended offseason.

That allowed him to spend more time partying. During a podcast appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys, the former tight end revealed that after his rookie season, many of his college friends were still in school.

That’s why, instead of spending his offseason around the Patriots, he started visiting his college friends, going to Miami, attending pool parties, and discovering Las Vegas.

As his career progressed and Gronkowski established himself as one of the league’s best tight ends, his party persona also started to grow. By the time he won his first Super Bowl with the Patriots, Rob Gronkowski had become a fixture around bars and nightlife.

For instance, following his first Super Bowl win, Gronk partied at Surrender Nightclub in Las Vegas with his brothers Chris and Dan, complete with champagne, confetti cannons, and football-themed cakes. Then, back in 2017, the former NFL tight end generated a $102,407 bar tab that included 160 bottles of champagne, according to TMZ’s reporting.

So, it’s safe to say that the man who once had to stand for half an hour in line just to get entry into the nightclub eventually became one of the most recognizable figures in NFL nightlife.