Rob Gronkowski Was 'Very Shocked' by Rumors That Tom Brady Would Unretire — Again
Taylor Hill/WireImage; Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images
Rob Gronkowski believes Tom Brady's retirement will stick this time around.
The retired NFL tight end said he was surprised by the recent rumors that his friend and former teammate may be considering a second un-retirement.
While speaking to Boston.com, Gronkowski, 33, said, "That was a surprise when I saw that news. It actually put me on my toes. I was very shocked when I saw that."
Gronkowski added, "I feel like Tom is definitely totally done playing." Brady's buddy then clarified that he hasn't spoken directly to the superstar quarterback about the decision. "I haven't talked to him or anything about it. I'm not speaking for Tom."
However, Gronkowski feels that Brady's second retirement announcement was genuinely his goodbye to the field.
"Just from everything I saw from his retirement video and everything I just feel like he is just done playing football. It was just very shocking though when I heard that news the other day," he told the outlet.
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Mike Ehrmann/Getty Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady
Rumors began swirling that Brady, 45, may be considering another return to the league after NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen told fans to keep an eye on Miami as a possible destination for the quarterback.
But Brady quickly quashed that theory, posting on Twitter that he doesn't have the time.
"Anyone who thinks I have time to come back to the NFL has never adopted a 2 month old kitten for their daughter," he tweeted last Tuesday.
Anyone who thinks I have time to come back to the NFL has never adopted a 2 month old kitten for their daughter. https://t.co/Qzf2H4vr1j
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 7, 2023
Brady famously announced his first retirement at the start of 2022, before reversing the decision about two months later.
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He announced his second retirement this past February, telling fans it was "for good" this time in a heartfelt video message. "I'm retiring. For good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I'd just press record, and let you guys know first," an emotional Brady said.
Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
RELATED: Tom Brady Says He's Retiring 'for Good' After 23 Seasons in the NFL in Emotional Video
"It won't be long-winded, you only get one super-emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so. I...really thank you guys...so much," he continues, while choking up, "to every single one of you, for supporting me, my family, my friends, teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There's too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream."
"I wouldn't change a thing. Love you all."