Rob Gronkowski Answers Whether He’ll Attend Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Games

Rob Gronkowski Answers Whether He’ll Attend Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Games originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

There's no doubt that many will be keeping a close eye on the North Carolina Tar Heels, with Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, set to enter his first season as head coach of the program.

Of course, during his tenure in the NFL, he got to coach several amazing players, including tight end Rob Gronkowski, who spent nine of his 11 years in the NFL with New England and Belichick.

After all that time, the two undoubtedly grew a strong relationship, and during a Monday appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show," Gronkowski was asked how many Tar Heels games he would be attending this season, with his answer potentially disappointing many.

“It’s gonna be tough because I’m obviously doing the Fox pregame show this year,” Gronkowski said. “So I’ll definitely be tuning in, no doubt about that. I’m going to wish Coach Belichick well. I want to see him win because it’s just kind of the Deion Sanders effect, a little bit. Just brings, you know, college football to the table and makes it that much more interesting.”

Of course, this season will be a true test for North Carolina, as the Tar Heels look to improve on a not-so-impressive 6-7 record last year, while trying to secure their first bowl game victory since 2019.

However, the Tar Heels will be sporting a roster that looks completely different than 2024, as Belichick was busy in the transfer portal, landing a total of 41 players for a group that ranks No. 9 in the nation.

Though even with Gronkowski likely not there, the Tar Heels will have plenty of fans in attendance because, according to On3's Brett McMurphy, they sold out all season and single-game tickets at home on Wednesday, which was the earliest they'd done so in program history.

All of this also just increases the pressure for Belichick, despite even something like a conference championship potentially out of reach, as ESPN BET is tying them for the seventh-best odds (+3000) to win the ACC.

Related: Paul Finebaum Makes His Stance Clear on North Carolina’s Potential Move to the SEC

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.