In a profile for Sports Illustrated, Pete Thamel got to meet Rob Gronkowski to interview him and those in his life to get a better understanding of the man and the legend of Gronk.
The whole piece is fascinating and confirms that Gronk is indeed the big, lovable party animal that he’s popularly portrayed as in the media.
For instance, during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, Gronk shared a house with teammates Dane Fletcher and Nino Koutouvides. The place was essentially a frat house for pro football players.
Defiantly unrefined, they duct-taped the initials FGK (Fletcher, Gronkowski, Koutouvides) to the living room wall like fraternity letters. “[Gronk and I] were into the same things—girls and hanging out and having a good time on top of football,” Fletcher says.
Fletcher, Gronk and Kouty didn’t bother buying silverware, instead taking plastic utensils and plates from the Patriots’ facility and washing them for multiple uses. A bum leg caused the kitchen table to topple over with the slightest nudge. Fletcher got endless entertainment from Henry, a fake mouse that he’d tie with fishing wire and place in the fridge and cupboard. “Rob never failed to scream,” Fletcher says. “He’s such a wuss.”
The party-side of Gronk hasn’t diminished since then, though he has gotten smarter about it. Hence, the party bus. As Thamel notes, having it to pick people up to come to his place to party party, rather than causing a scene going out into the public to have fun, shows a kind of maturity that is uniquely Gronk-ian.
Gronk bought it from a church on Long Island last summer, thoroughly renovated it and nicknamed it the Sinners Bus. It seats eight comfortably and includes hardwood floors, blinking lights and the kind of sound system one would expect from a nightclub on wheels.
Gronk uses the bus to get to and from the airport as well as a place for his family to tailgate.
Oh, and Gronk’s confidante, contractor and chauffeur who drives the bus? His name is Robert Goon.
You can’t make any of this stuff up. It’s all too perfect.
