Sports
Gronkowski Gets His Red Jacket: Patriots Hall of Fame Ceremony Set for Saturday Outside Gillette Stadium
Rob Gronkowski will be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday at a free, public ceremony outside Gillette Stadium, capping a fan vote win over Adam Vinatieri and Logan Mankins. The tight end, who won three Super Bowls in New England, is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027.
FOXBORO â Rob Gronkowski will receive his red jacket Saturday afternoon as the latest inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame, honored at a free, public ceremony on a stage outside the Patriots Pro Shop at Gillette Stadium.
The legendary tight end earned the nod after topping kicker Adam Vinatieri and offensive lineman Logan Mankins in fan voting. The team stages the annual event outdoors, welcoming back previous inductees and former players.
"This is a special moment. This is truly a once in a lifetime weekend," Gronkowski said in a media interview Thursday. "I'm so honored and I'm excited to see so many of my ex-teammates and friends and family members that are going to be here."
The ceremony begins at 1 p.m. and will be televised in the Boston area on TV38, streamed on the Patriots website and broadcast live on the team's official social media accounts.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced Thursday that he will not attend while recovering from multiple back surgeries.
Gronkowski played nine seasons in New England after the team drafted him in the second round out of Arizona in 2010. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and a fourth with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the regular season he recorded 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns; in the postseason he added 81 catches for 1,163 yards and 12 scores.
"It was 100% the right opportunity for me," Gronkowski said of his time in New England. "It was 100% the right fit for me, the right people, the right organization. And now, I call New England a place for me as home. It really is a home for me."
He becomes eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027.
There may be a familiar face in Foxboro this weekend: Tom Brady, inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in a stadium ceremony in 2024, is back for the team's game against the Green Bay Packers as part of the Fox Sports broadcast team â his first time in the booth for a Patriots game. Gronkowski appears on the Fox pregame show alongside Julian Edelman, who was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame last September along with former head coach Bill Parcells.
Before Sunday's game, the franchise will mark the 10th anniversary of its Super Bowl LI victory, when New England erased a 28-3 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons.