Rob Gronkowski’s red-jacket day in Foxborough belonged to one tight end, but a comparison from a former teammate pulled another one into the conversation.
Gronkowski became the 38th member of the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday. The same day, former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich compared him with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, in a comparison that left many fans asking why Kelce was the topic of conversation on such a big night for Gronkowski.
2-Time Patriots Champ Takes a Shot At Travis Kelce
Ninkovich, one of the former teammates who took part in the ceremony, kept his tribute simple. “Like everyone up here said, it made everybody better to have Rob on the field. Practices were harder than the games. So, thank you, congratulations. We love you.”
He then measured Gronkowski against Kelce: “[Travis] Kelce and [Rob Gronkowski] don’t even come close. He’s a receiver, and this guy is a tight end.”
One fan went straight at the second half of Ninkovich’s line. “If your argument against a tight end is that he’s too good at receiving, I think we found the problem with your argument.”
Others pointed to the timing, since the comparison came on a day built around Gronkowski. “The fact that Kelce is getting mentioned at Gronk’s HoF induction kinda disproves Rob’s point,” a fan wrote.
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This fan also made the same point about the setting: “At Gronk’s induction ceremony and they still thinking of Kelce, can’t make it up lmao.”
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Another fan treated the debate as one already settled: “We had this discussion; wrap this up.”
This fan borrowed Ninkovich’s phrasing to make a different case: “You’re right! It’s not even close! One is 37 years old, getting inducted into the HoF after being retired for 5 years. The other is 37 years old, getting ready to play a game tomorrow!”
Gronkowski actually last played in 2021 and announced his final retirement in June 2022
Notably, the ceremony drew more than 1,000 fans to Patriot Place Plaza on a rainy afternoon.
Gronkowski, who beat Adam Vinatieri and Logan Mankins in the fan vote, didn’t hide what the day meant to him. “This honor today means everything to me. The hard work, the injuries, the surgeries, the good times, the difficult times, it’s all worth it to me now.”
Drafted out of Arizona in the second round in 2010, Gronkowski played nine seasons for New England, winning three Super Bowls there and a fourth later in Tampa Bay. With the Patriots, he caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in the regular season, plus 81 catches for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns in the playoffs.
So far this season, Kelce has 29 catches for 410 yards and two touchdowns, and Pro Football Network’s NFL TE Impact Grade has him at 85.8, tied for third among 43 graded tight ends.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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