"You guys know my favorite number" - When Rob Gronkowski's suggestive comment towards a female reporter drew flak from media
Rob Gronkowski seems to be a great guy who has not embroiled himself in many controversies during his career, but he did miss the mark a few times, and a news conference before Super Bowl LIII was one of those occasions.
The tight end was asked about a possible retirement following Super Bowl LIII. As it turns out, the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 that game, and he indeed retired for a year. But he inappropriately made a suggestive comment toward a female reporter out of nowhere following a question:
“You guys know my favorite number. You know what I’m talking about. She knows what number I’m talking about,” Gronkowski said as he pointed to a female reporter. “Ask her. That’s the answer. I’ll give you a math problem: What’s six times nine plus six plus nine?"
Gronkowski faced backlash following suggestive comments in Super Bowl LIII's media day
Many took offense to Gronkowski's remarks, and the backlash was harsh.
New York City radio host Maggie Gray was upset at WFAN:
"That one is a crossing the line. I think there has been a pass that's been given to Rob Gronkowski for a really long time. I think part of the pass that he gets comes with the fact he is doing this and really doesn't have anything in his past or in his private life that would indicate he actually has an issue. It just seems like an act."
Her co-host, former New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott, was also not pleased with the tight end
"Workplace etiquette, right?” he said. “He has to understand that this is business time, it's workplace time, that you can't go that route. It's not the time or the place."
We know how much the tight end likes to party and mess up, but he was out of line on this occasion and was rightly called out by many media members.
He retired after that game, though, but returned a year later to join his good friend Tom Brady at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We all know how this story ended.