Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski waves to the crowd following his induction ceremony to the Patriots Hall of Fame. (Paul Connors/Boston Herald)
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski waves to the crowd following his induction ceremony to the Patriots Hall of Fame. (Paul Connors/Boston Herald)
FOXBORO — Wearing his red Patriots Hall of Fame jacket for the first time, Rob Gronkowski told thousands of fans that Sergio Brown has “yet to see the dance floor” nearly 12 years after the legendary tight end threw the then-Colts safety out of the club.
In a 2014 Week 10 Sunday Night Football matchup against Indianapolis, Gronkowski drove Brown out of bounds, sending his former teammate crashing into sideline camera equipment as Patriots running back Jonas Gray scored a touchdown.
The play instantly went viral, forever etching itself into Gronkowski’s folklore — not necessarily for the block itself, but for his iconic postgame remarks.
“He was just yappin’ to me the whole time, and that’s why I took him and threw him out of the club,” Gronkowski said on the NBC broadcast at the time.
Nine days short of the play’s 12th anniversary, Gronkowski and members of the organization repeatedly reflected on that moment Saturday as the three-time New England Super Bowl champion was officially inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.
“I used a tool that got me my true start on this team: My blocking powers,” Gronkowski said, beaming from the podium. “I took him, and I threw him right out of the club — right out of bounds – and even got Bill (Belichick) to smile.
“And to this day, that safety has yet to see a dance floor. You talk trash to the Gronkster, I’ll teach you a lesson.”
Team president Jonathan Kraft recalled the play as one of his favorite Gronkowski memories, taking place at the “height of the Patriots-Colts rivalry.”
“It took place right below where we were sitting,” Kraft said, “and I am telling you, he just obliterated him. He picked him up, and he spiked him, and he threw him into the ground.”
Thousands of fans braved a wet, dreary Saturday at Patriot Place Plaza to watch the induction. Dozens of former teammates and team Hall of Famers attended, including six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady and current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Kraft noted the team scheduled the ceremony for Saturday to coincide with Brady being in town for FOX Sports’ broadcast of Sunday’s Patriots-Packers Week 9 matchup.
Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft missed the ceremony while recovering from recent back surgery, but delivered a message via prerecorded video.
“As much pain as I had doing what I just did,” Kraft said, “the pain of missing this celebration and having the privilege of putting you into the Hall of Fame with a red jacket is so disappointing to me.”
Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, right, greets teammate Rob Gronkowski, left, as he is introduced during induction ceremonies for the Patriots Hall of Fame, Nov. 7, 2026, in Foxboro. (Paul Connors/Boston Herald)
Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, right, greets teammate Rob Gronkowski, left, as he is introduced during induction ceremonies for the Patriots Hall of Fame, Nov. 7, 2026, in Foxboro. (Paul Connors/Boston Herald)
Voted into the Hall of Fame by fans in his first year of eligibility last spring, the five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro tight end won three Super Bowls with New England and one with Tampa Bay. He ranks first in Patriots history with 80 touchdown receptions and second with 7,861 receiving yards.
During Gronkowski’s nine seasons, New England won nine straight AFC East titles and reached eight consecutive conference championship games.
“I am a Patriot for life,” said Gronkowski as he closed his speech in true Gronk fashion. “Now, let’s fiesta!”
In a tribute video highlighting Gronkowski’s nine-year New England tenure, radio broadcaster Bob Socci noted, “There is an embarrassment of riches when trying to choose a favorite Gronkowski moment.”
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who coached Gronkowski for seven seasons, recalled that the 42-20 blowout over the Colts that featured more than just the viral block. Gronkowski scored the final touchdown of the night on a 26-yard catch-and-run where six Colts defenders attempted — and failed — to bring him down.
“I think that game, in and of itself, kind of had all the ways Rob Gronkowski is great,” McDaniels said in the video. “There were a lot of games and a lot of memories that I have of Rob doing incredible things, but that game was just like, ‘Holy cow.’”
While Gronkowski carried superstar status throughout his career, former special teams captain Matthew Slater emphasized his former teammate’s humility.
“We loved Rob because we knew he cared about us, and he just wanted to be one of the guys,” Slater said. “I think that is so unique for a player like that to carry himself in that way. He never changed.
“The day he came in here as a rookie to the time he finished his Hall of Fame career — and I mean Canton Hall of Fame, he was the same guy. That really struck me.”