Rob Gronkowski already thought of himself as a New England Patriot for life.
Now he’s made it official, and fulfilled the wish of a longtime friend.
Gronkowski signed a one-day contract with the Patriots on Wednesday to retire as a member of the team he won three Super Bowls with during his 11-year NFL career.
“I’m a Patriot for life. My career started here and 100% needed to end here,” Gronkowski said after the ceremonial signing alongside team owner Robert Kraft.
While Kraft said there had been plans for Gronkowski to formally retire as a Patriot after he became eligible and was elected to the team’s hall of fame, the process was accelerated recently.
It was during the opening of a “Gronk Playground” in Boston that Gronkowski was present for in August that his longtime friend and charity partner Susan Hurley made a request.
Hurley, a former Patriots cheerleader who worked with hundreds of area charities through her company CharityTeams, asked him to make if official and retire as a member of the team.
When Hurley died from cancer earlier this month, Gronkowski said honoring her request was an “absolute no-brainer.”
“The whole Gronk persona, everything about myself … was all because of the fans here in New England, was all because of my teammates accepting me and everyone else here,” he said. “Just accepting who I was from the very beginning and embracing it and letting me just play the game of football out on the football field.”
From the outset “Gronk” established himself as a fun-loving, touchdown-spiking presence in the Patriots locker room. His personality — on and off the field — was as big as his biceps, and he always seemed to be the life of the party.
Kraft said Gronkowski’s imprint on the franchise was immediate and lasting.
“His clutch performances were legendary, and his larger than life personality and connections with the fans has truly made him a New England icon,” Kraft said.