Michael Jordan understood early that fame is a rental and ownership is the deed. He used Nike to build a brand that would outlive his playing days, and it did. Rob Gronkowski, the former New England Patriots tight end, had a similar opportunity on the plate. He helped put BodyArmor on the map. But when it came time to cash in, he made a decision that landed nowhere near the Jordan blueprint.

On Free Range w/ Von Miller, Rob Gronkowski revealed,

“Well, I didn’t really like investing my money. I didn’t know anything about business. I truly didn’t. And put it this way, like I signed with BodyArmor. I was one of the first athletes to sign with BodyArmor in like 2012, and they gave me stock and some cash, and like I was so pissed. I got stock And then, I left BodyArmor because they wanted to just pay me in stock, and I went and ended up signing with Monster, and I’m still with Monster to this day actually.

“And now I’m actually invested into a new drink, RECOVER 180, with the guy who created BodyArmor. Then eventually Body Armor sold in like whatever, five years ago it was or four years ago, and I got this big check in the mail, and it was from BodyArmor from the sale. And I was like, ‘Holy sh*t, I remember when I absolutely hated, you know, the stocks that I got,’ and now I totally forgot about them. I got a huge check in the mail 10 years later, and that really, you know, lit up my mind on how business works, how stocks work.”

Rob Gronkowski was two years into his NFL career in 2012 when he signed on as an endorser and investor for BodyArmor SuperDrink, a startup looking to disrupt the sports drink industry at that time.

Following his first Super Bowl victory, Gronkowski’s contract with BodyArmor came up for renewal. At the time, the company was still struggling to find its footing in a market dominated by Gatorade, and offered Gronkowski a reduced renewal rate. In November 2015, Gronkowski officially left BodyArmor for Monster Energy.

While Gronkowski stopped acting as the public face of BodyArmor in 2015, he never liquidated his initial equity shares. In fact, he completely forgot he even owned any. In late 2021, when The Coca-Cola Company fully acquired BodyArmor in a deal that valued the sports drink brand at $8 billion, Gronkowski received a portion from those liquidated shares.

For context, Michael Jordan changed how athlete brand collaborations and partnerships worked by completely shifting from flat endorsement fees to a revenue-sharing and royalty model with Nike.

Under his partnership with Nike, Jordan received $500,000 annually over five years ($2.5 million total), triple the figure for any existing NBA sneaker deal at that time. Additionally, the deal also granted Jordan royalties on every shoe and apparel item sold under his name.

But perhaps the biggest loophole in Jordan’s contract was a contingency that would allow him to exit the contract if sales targets weren’t met or if he failed to make an All-Star team.

Now, the former Patriots TE has signed multiple partnerships with other brands. But Gronkowski used his BodyArmor lesson to acquire early equity stakes in rising beverage brands.

In 2024, Gronkowski took a significant equity stake in this organic hydration brand RECOVER 180, launched by BodyArmor co-founder Lance Collins. Rather than just filming commercials, his role also stretches to acting as an active brand investor.

The same year, Gronkowski also officially joined a high-profile roster of athlete investors (including Travis Kelce) by securing an equity partnership in the premium spirits brand, Casa Azul Tequila.

So while Rob Gronkowski may not have capitalized on an equity-style brand deal like NBA icon Michael Jordan did with Nike in his early playing career, the former Patriots star is leaving no stone unturned to build his business portfolio following his retirement.