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FINAL PLAY

New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski Announces Retirement

The tight end, who spent all nine years of his career with the team, announced his decision on Instagram.

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Kevin C. Cox/Getty

By Victoria Albert

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement Sunday in a surprise Instagram post. “It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far,” he wrote. “I will be retiring from the game of football today.” Gronkowski, who’s played for the Patriots since he was first drafted in 2010, thanked head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft, among others, for helping him learn “the great values of life.” Since Gronkowski was drafted, the team has won three Super Bowl wins—including the 2019 title. “Cheers to all who have been a part of this journey,” he added, “cheers to the past for the incredible memories, and a HUGE cheers for the uncertain of what’s next.” 

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It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far. I will be retiring from the game of football today. I am so grateful for the opportunity that Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick gave to me when drafting my silliness in 2010. My life experiences over the last 9 years have been amazing both on and off the field. The people I have meet, the relationships I have built, the championships I have been apart of, I just want to thank the whole New England Patriots organization for every opportunity I have been giving and learning the great values of life that I can apply to mine. Thank you to all of Pats Nation around the world for the incredible support since I have been apart of this 1st class organization. Thank you for everyone accepting who I am and the dedication I have put into my work to be the best player I could be. But now its time to move forward and move forward with a big smile knowing that the New England Patriots Organization, Pats Nation, and all my fans will be truly a big part of my heart for rest of my life. It was truly an incredible honor to play for such a great established organization and able to come in to continue and contribute to keep building success. To all my current and past teammates, thank you for making each team every year special to be apart of. I will truly miss you guys. Cheers to all who have been part of this journey, cheers to the past for the incredible memories, and a HUGE cheers to the uncertain of whats next.

A post shared by Rob Gronkowski (@gronk) on

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