Despite a two-year stint with the Tampa Bay Bucs, Rob Gronkowski will always be most remembered for his time with the Patriots, who he played for from 2010-18, capturing three Super Bowls in that span. However, since leaving, Gronkowski has been critical of New England’s strait-laced culture colloquially known as the “Patriot Way,” a strict adherence to fundamentals with little room for error. While Bill Belichick’s rigid, no-nonsense approach has served him well throughout his career, his tactics can wear thin at times, asking too much of his players, many of whom end up burning out like Gronkowski did, facilitating his departure from Foxboro with a short-lived retirement in 2019.
“It changes a lot, your perspective, when you're young 20s, mid-20s, to your 30s. A regular-season game with the Patriots, throughout my 20s, if we won a game, the next day, it felt like we still lost a game. And if we lost a game, it felt like you were in super depression for two days or for the whole week,” said Gronkowski, who, in the rare occurrence of a Patriots loss, would feel a darkness descend over Gillette Stadium, only receding at the onset of their next game. “So that’s what made you really want to win the games when you’re with the Patriots, because you didn’t want to ever feel that depression feeling for like the two days after the game. You’re like, 'We have to win the game so we have a good week.'”
Gronk, who claims to now root for his hometown Bills, didn’t give any specific details about what made losses, and even some wins, feel miserable, though given his fun-loving nature and how that would clash with a disciplinarian like Belichick, it’s remarkable his Patriots tenure lasted as long as it did.
“I used to do that sometimes. Put my head down and be all sad. But it’s like the other team gets paid as well. They’re the best athletes in the world,” the 33-year-old told FanDuel's Kay Adams. “As long as you go out there and give your best performance, you give it all you have, you got to walk away from the field with your head held high.”
Though the future Hall-of-Famer is no doubt proud of what he and the Patriots accomplished during his time there, it doesn’t sound like a particularly healthy or enjoyable experience, all work and no play with precious few moments of anything resembling joy and satisfaction.
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