Most NFL commentators have spent the last week celebrating Rob Gronkowski's exceptional career on the heels of his retirement announcement. But not Sports Illustrated columnist Andrew Brandt. The former Packers executive says he thinks Gronk receives an undeserved free pass for his excessive partying, which may have shortened his career.
In a column published Tuesday, Brandt writes he thinks Gronkowski is granted more leeway than his peers. "I ask you to pick another player, any player; I will not pick one for you, as that would skew this experiment," Brandt writes. "Now imagine that player shown slamming beers, partying regularly with bikini-clad women and generally promoting a hard-party lifestyle. Would we say it's just "him being him" and let him have his fun? I doubt it."
Brandt also questions whether Gronk would've been injured less if he bypassed the Gronk Cruises and Party Bus, which seems unfair, given his herniated disc condition. Gronkowski played nine NFL seasons, too, which is roughly three times longer than the average career.
Brandt tried to defend himself Tuesday on "Dale & Keefe," harping on the supposed Gronk double-standard.
"This is beyond New England. It's likable and it's lovable and people kind of say his name and almost smile when they say it –– he's this meathead and using these sort of caveman terms," he said. "It belies probably the intelligence he has, which I think is more than people suggest, and No. 2, it gives him a pass that I don't think other players would get. As I wrote, I'm not going to pick a player for you, but pick a player. If he was seen partying in a bathing suit with his shirt off, would we have the same, 'Oh, that's just him being him, and isn't that likable and isn't that lovable?' It's just my response to Gronk as he retires. Obviously, he deserves all of the credit he's getting. But it's just a response on his treatment versus others."
Brandt goes on to bring up Johnny Manziel, who's been seen in numerous party photos with Gronk over the years –– such as their Vegas trip in 2014.
"The only guy you see in those partying pictures as much as Gronk is a guy who Gronk has been in pictures with named Johnny Manziel," Brandt said. "Let's say Johnny Manziel was a great player. Put that image in your mind. Great player, got hurt, and there's all of the partying. Would we be saying, 'That's Johnny being Johnny?' Would we? I don't know. Maybe that's what I'm trying to say. Take away that Manziel stinks and put him in that. What are we saying about him?"
The Manziel comparison doesn't work for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, as Brandt mentions in his article, Gronkowski has never been in legal trouble. Manziel, meanwhile, was investigated for domestic violence and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. The troubled QB was also suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
The incidents led to Drew Rosenhaus and Nike dumping Manziel.
Oh, and Manziel isn't a good quarterback, either. So there's that difference between the erratic Heisman winner and Gronk, too.
As Dale Arnold and Rich Keefe told Brandt, Gronkowski's party boy image seems more cultivated than anything else. During the football season, he was seldom spotted at events or around town. Following the Patriots' Super Bowl win, Gronk told Bill Belichick he hadn't been out in eight months.
That one soundbyte torpedoes Brandt's narrative.
