Rob Gronkowski Retires As A Patriot In Honor Of Charity Partner

New England Patriots icon Rob Gronkowski signed a one-day contract with the team on Wednesday, officially retiring with the franchise where he spent his entire nine-season career.

The tribute was in honor of the former tight end’s charity partner, Susan Hurley, who passed away earlier this month after battling cancer. Hurley requested that ‘Gronk’ retire in Foxborough.

“We are 100% here today for her, no doubt about that,” Gronkowski said in a press conference on Wednesday. “She just did such a great job, working and running a lot of people’s charities.”

Hurley was the founder of the “CharityTeams” organization and was a former cheerleader of the Patriots. Gronkowski is a vocal advocate for charity and has established the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, which supports kids in sports and education.

“She made it seamless. She made it easy,” Gronkowski said on Hurley’s charity work. “She ran all the activities, all the events. She will have a lasting impact forever.”

The tight end was part of the core players of the Patriots’ dominance throughout the 2010s. He won three Super Bowls in five years alongside Tom Brady and Julian Edelman.

At the end of the 2018 season, Gronkowski announced his retirement, but reversed his decision one year later after teaming up with Brady at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The duo won Super Bowl LV in their first season together, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2020.

A season later, Gronk announced his second retirement.

Since Brady and Gronkowski left Gillette Stadium, the Patriots missed the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. This year, however, the tide could be turning as New England sits 9-2 in mid-November.