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Rob Gronkowski is grateful he still gets to spend time with his Patriots teammates Julian Edelman and Tom Brady, though they are no longer playing football.
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"Well, that’s what makes it so special being at Fox. Julian’s on the early show. I’m on the Fox pregame show, the second one before the games start. Julian’s on the kickoff show, and Tom’s up in the booth. We all get to interact and mingle with each other every once in a while. Just knowing we have teammates there who we’ve been teammates with for so long makes us that much more comfortable," the football star, 37, exclusively tells OK! while talking about working with Bounty for its “Official Wingman of NFL Gameday” campaign.
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After retiring from the game in 2022, Gronkowski never thought he would be working with Brady and Edelman so closely.
"We didn’t even think about it one time. I didn’t think about a broadcast career at all after football. I didn’t even think about anything like that. This just all came together. Every single bit about it came together after playing football. We never talked about it once. Not once. Not even until a year after playing. So it all came together. It was just meant to happen," he shares.
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The trio formed the core of the legendary New England Patriots dynasty, winning multiple Super Bowl titles together under coach Bill Belichick.
Years later, Gronkowski said they're "not competitive" in their current jobs.
"It’s more laid-back now. We try to rip on each other as much as possible, but we don’t have to scream at each other because we’re not trying to get the best out of each other in the same way as when we were athletes preparing to compete. We’re just there. It’s great knowing that we’ve got teammates for life and knowing that these guys are relatable to me and understand me. We’re in the second part of our football careers now, and that’s in the media world. Just to have each other is phenomenal. It really is. Like I said, it makes us that much more comfortable, and it makes us feel that much more free to give our opinions. It also helps us give each other opinions because someone will bring up something and then you’re like, 'Oh, I remember that. I can talk about that now.'"
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The athlete is enjoying this chapter — podcasting, broadcasting and still being immersed in the football world.
"It’s awesome. It’s all dedicated to my football career because I wouldn’t be in the football world, being an analyst and podcasting about football with Julian on the 'Dudes on Dudes' show, without having had a solid career. I attribute that to being in a great organization, with great coaches around me and great teammates around me who helped elevate my game and helped me get to where I am. Winning championships gets you opportunities after you’re done playing football. No doubt about it, and being a great player as well. It’s special. And now I get to talk football and be around football without getting beat up. So that’s pretty cool. I’m not going to get concussions and brain injuries," he says.
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Gronkowski is certainly booked and busy, as he's teaming up with Bounty again for the fifth year.
"We just have an unbelievable connection together. What makes it so great is that I naturally use Bounty all the time at my house. Whenever I can authentically represent a brand — and get free product from a brand because I’m representing it — well, then it’s a home run. It’s a no-brainer," he states. "This year, Bounty is my Official Wingman on game day because game days are messy. You’ve got wings, pizza, burgers, sauce all over the place, and to make your house squeaky clean once again, you’ve got to use Bounty paper towels to clean up the mess caused by all that food and all those sauces. So Bounty paper towels are my official wingman on game day, baby."
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"It’s a great product that you can rely on. You’re always going to be able to rely on it. That’s never going to change. What has changed is that I usually have an actual wingman. Julian Edelman was my wingman. Charissa Thompson was my wingman last year. Drew Brees has been my wingman," he continues. "But this year, I don’t have an actual person as my wingman. I’m using Bounty paper towels as my wingman this year because I’m experienced enough. I don’t need the knowledge of Julian anymore or Charissa. I know how to throw a game-day party. I know the foods I need. I know the music I need. I know the activities I need. So that’s what makes this year different. The paper towels are my actual wingman this year, not a human being."
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