Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski credited one teammate in particular for his development. That player is former longtime Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich.
When speaking with reporters, via NESN’s Tim Crowley, Gronkowski explained why he chose Ninkovich to introduce him for his football legacy award at “The Tradition” event.
“It was definitely a no-brainer,” Gronkowski said. “It was really cool they let me choose something as well. Ninkovich, we go way back. Without Ninkovich, I wouldn’t have been the player that I was. I’m being serious. We used to go at it in the run game, 1-on-1’s. … It is like this. We make the best of it. That’s what we were like on the practice field. Just back-and-forth all the time, passing game and running game.”
Ninkovich was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots and a former defensive leader. He’s also a member of New England’s All-Dynasty Team.
It’s no surprise that his hard work rubbed off on other players on the roster, including Gronkowski, who went on to become arguably the greatest tight end of all time.
