Rob Gronkowski was one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, and some would say no player who ever played his position was better than him. Playing alongside legendary quarterback Tom Brady for his entire 11-year career, Gronkowski won four Super Bowl championships and was named to the Pro Bowl five times.
Along the way, he gained a reputation for being a somewhat dim-witted party animal off the field. His "Gronk Spike" celebration became iconic, and his outsized personality made him one of the more recognizable and popular NFL players among the general public.
Now an analyst for Fox's telecast of NFL games, Gronkowski has admitted that he "played into" his "dumb jock" persona at times.
"People thought I was just a dumb jock, and it's been like that throughout my entire life," he says, per Forbes. "Sometimes it takes me a little bit longer to figure things out as well, but I always know what's going on around me. So I played into that character sometimes-not all times, but when it was necessary."
Pro athletes are often stereotyped as lacking intellectual depth. But a closer look at Gronkowski's life reveals a lot more than one may think is present in his brain.
He has accumulated many endorsements and business deals over the years, to the point that, according to Forbes, he earns at least $10 million from such deals before fees due to agents and lawyers.
In fact, he has chosen not to spend any of the money he has earned from his NFL contracts. He has instead lived off his endorsement money, and he lives just about as frugally as many of the working-class fans who cheered for him from the stands or their homes.
Gronkowski put all of his financial status into motion by leveraging his one-of-a-kind athleticism and physicality. At 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, he had the blocking power of an elite offensive lineman, but he also possessed just enough finesse to haul in imperfect passes, not to mention high-level speed.
He was also an intelligent player, and he was regarded as a positive influence on his teammates.
Away from football, the future Hall of Famer has been very giving. He started the "Gronk Nation Youth Foundation" to encourage kids to live an active lifestyle, do well in school and accomplish their dreams. He has also participated in the Make-A-Wish Foundation and launched a partnership that helped raise awareness about valley fever in household pets.
That's not exactly the type of profile one would expect from someone whom some have dismissed as a modern-day macho caveman.
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