Former Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski drops hint of becoming NFL owner in future
Rob Gronkowski's NFL career might be over but the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers great might not be done with football.
At least that is the conclusion one could reach after he was asked if he would ever be open to owning an NFL team. However, he might have conflicting loyalties having played for two NFL franchises.
Rob Gronkowski retired as a Tampa Bay player but the majority of his time was spent in New England. Luckly he has found a neat work-around to that quandary.
He has decided that he will wait to become a owner until NFL's international expansion takes place. Once there is a permanent team outside the US, and he namechecked Amsterdam, he would like to have a stake there.
Here's what he said on the "Up & Adams" show:
"It would be the team. That's going to be overseas and a couple years. That's my prediction. That's the team I would want to invest in... Oh, they would be called the Amsterdam... Wilds. The Amsterdam Wilds."
Rob Gronkowski ownership questions swirl as former teammate Tom Brady looks to purchase Raiders stake
It is not a leap of imagination to assume someone as successful as Rob Gronkowski would one day wish to own a team. After all, his former teammate during his NFL career, Tom Brady, is doing just that.
The quarterback is looking to become a minority owner with the Las Vegas Raiders. There were reports before he retired that Mark Davis was looking to get him on board the playing staff, but now it looks to be a different proposition he is engaging in. He already is a part owner of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces with Davis.
However, the NFL GOAT has not let his past loyalties affect the decision. He could have tied up with the New England Patriots, given he will be back for their home season opener. Owner Robert Kraft extended the invitation so that the fans could properly toast the greatest ever player who played for them.
Despite accepting this invitation, such cooperation does not exist between Brady and Kraft away from the field. There he is sticking with his existing venture partner in Mark Davis.
Rob Gronkowski will seek to avoid all such issues altogether. He has decided that when he invests in NFL ownership, it will away from the shores of the United States and will not affect his standing with the franchises he played for.
Now, the next step is to convince commissioner Roger Goodell to put a franchise in Europe. And if he listens to the former NFL tight end, he would start in Amsterdam.