Gronkowski won three Super Bowls with the Patriots when they were coached by Belichick
NEED TO KNOW
- Speaking to PEOPLE on Thursday, Feb. 5, former NFL star Rob Gronkowski weighs in on his former coach Bill Belichick not being selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026
- He deems the decision "shameful" and counts off the many reasons that Belichick deserves a place in the Hall of Fame, even going beyond his impressive resume within the NFL
- Gronkowski collected three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots under Belichick's coaching
Rob Gronkowski is not impressed with the Pro Football Hall of Fame's decision not to induct his former coach Bill Belichick in the Class of 2026.
Belichick, 73, who served as the head coach for the New England Patriots for 24 seasons, led the team to nine Super Bowls, winning six of them. Gronkowski, 36, collected three rings under Belichick's coaching.
Despite his impressive resume, Belichick was not selected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In January, reports suggested that he failed to secure the necessary committee votes in his first year of eligibility.
Gronkowski caught up with PEOPLE’s Janine Rubenstein in San Francisco at the SiriusXM set at Media Row on Thursday, Feb. 5. Reacting to the news that Belichick wasn't able to make it into the new class, he deems the decision "shameful."
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"The system needs to be checked up on," he says. "This just shows that there's gonna be no other first-ballot Hall of Fame coach, you know, for the rest of history. There shouldn't be because Coach Belichick's the greatest coach of all time.
Singing Belichick's praises, he continues, "I mean eight Super Bowl rings, two as defensive coordinators, six with the Patriots. And just how many wins he has had in the regular season... Second most of all time.
"You shouldn't even have to say his resume, either. He should just be in," the retired NFL star opines.
For him, it's not just Belichick's proven winning record; there's another aspect that makes him a Hall of Fame-worthy coach.
"What I really love about Coach Belichick that isn't on his resume is just how much knowledge he has shared with players and other coaches," he explains, saying that he's helped many "be better people."
Gronkowski personally learned from the football legend, saying, "I wouldn't be where I am without Coach Belichick... How much football he has taught me. How much football he has taught Tom Brady."
"And Coach Belichick didn't just teach football. He always brought up life situations as well in meetings, so you can succeed off the field and have knowledge to keep going even after the game of football. And that's not shown in his resume," he adds.
Ultimately, Gronkowski concludes that his former coach "got screwed."
Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Gronkowski attended Radio Row with 43-year-old Fox Sports sportscaster Charissa Thompson to promote a partnership with Bounty.
"Gronk's from Buffalo, so he loves his wings," Thompson says, explaining the partnership. "You can't have football without wings; you can't have wings without Bounty, as we know."
She continues, saying that they'll be snacking while broadcasting Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8.
"We get to make a mess of a lot of things in the studio on Sunday. And we'll be eating, and they're like, 'You guys are back on air like five minutes. Clean your act up.' So we rely on Bounty and each other for a lot of things," she explains.
Read the original article on People
Category: General Sports
