Editorial

Gronk Says He’s Done With Football, Now Playing Pickleball

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Rob Gronkowski has no interest in playing football ever again. In fact, he's found a new love in pickleball, he told TMZ Sports. [TMZ/Screenshot/Public]

[TMZ/Screenshot/Public]

Andrew Powell Sports and Entertainment Blogger
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I need to play this pickleball — it truly is taking the world by storm.

Rob Gronkowski has no interest in playing football ever again, with the future Hall of Famer telling TMZ Sports there’s “no chance” he’ll make a return to the NFL.

Gronk, who is 33 years old, made his retirement official in June 2022, but many speculated that he could eventually make a comeback. He did it once already, coming out of retirement to win another Super Bowl with Tom Brady during their stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But with Brady now out of the picture after retiring back in February, Gronk told TMZ that he’s now 100 percent done.

“There’s no chance anymore,” Gronk said. “I’m happily retired.”

And while he’s enjoying that retirement, Gronk says he’s picked up a new sport: pickleball. And he’s apparently good at it, according to himself.

“I beat my brother, Chris, who plays with pros, and my other brother, Gordon, who plays with pros too!” Gronk said. “And I beat ’em with an average Joe — my other brother, Glenn G., was my partner!”

Gronk closed out by saying:

“So, I’m happily retired. I’m still competing, I’m still winning, so I don’t even need to go back to football.”

I keep seeing stories about pickleball, and they’ve gotten me interested in playing it.

Just recently, I saw that pickleball has better television ratings than the NBA, MLB and NHL (wow), and now you have Gronk out here talking about playing it. (RELATED: Get Ready To Cringe: Nobody Hilariously Cares When Patrick Reed Hits A Long Birdie Putt At The Masters)

Where do I sign up?