National Football League (NFL) legend and four-time Super Bowl Champion Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski visited Hampton Roads to meet with the military community for an autograph session at the Naval Station Norfolk Commissary on Monday, September 9.
The event was open to Department of Defense (DOD) cardholders and the school is home to many military-connected students. “Gronk” as he is known to fans, was kind enough to not only sign his autograph on various football memorabilia for fans who attended the event, but to also take the time for an exclusive interview in which he discussed his support for the military and to lend his thoughts on the importance of keeping high school football players safe.
Fans began arriving as early as 4:30 a.m. in order to receive one of the 150 spots available. “Gronk” arrived at 11 a.m. to cheers from more than 200 service members who came with their families carrying jerseys, footballs, and souvenirs for him to sign.
During his years in the NFL and beyond, Gronkowski has proven that he has a big heart for the military community; throughout his illustrious career, he’s visited with troops prior to deployment, gifted Super Bowl tickets to veterans, and attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
“They’re (service members) the ones who give us the freedom to go out there and play in front of 70,000 fans with no fear…because the military’s protecting us and keeping us free out there,” Gronk said.
In addition to autographs, Gronkowski took the time to make FaceTime calls to parents of service members and after the interview by Falcon Press staff, even recorded a special shoutout to CHS and its students.
Gronk played 11 seasons with both the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during which time he admitted to sustaining approximately 20 concussions and five blackouts, according to CBS News.
Since many football players, including Gronk, have obtained numerous concussions during games, the NFL began mandating guardian caps for certain positions during training camps in 2022.
According to Guardian Sports, guardian caps are described as a “soft helmet cover” for athletes that provide protection from head injuries during games.
The NFL regular season opened on Thursday, September 5, with six players wearing guardian caps for the first time during gameplay.
Gronk’s concussions happened before the NFL mandated guardian caps, so he never wore one.
“I never wore a guardian cap, but they look legit and if they are protecting people and people are getting less concussions and less head problems, I’m all for it,” Gronk said.
Professional players are not alone in promoting the importance of guardian caps. Parents of school-age players are as well.
According to 13News, Cohen Craddock, a middle school football player at Madison Middle School in Hewitt, West Virginia died from a head injury he sustained from a collision during football practice in late August.
His parents, Ryan and Jennifer Craddock started the Caps for Cohen Initiative, in their son’s memory, to raise money to provide Guardian Caps to youth football players and improve safety on the field.
“The safety of the game is what’s most important….You wanna walk away from the game feeling good still and feeling less banged up…,” Gronk said. “So I’m all in for guardian caps if it’s protecting players. ”
Varsity Football Coach Tyler Noe confirmed that he did implement guardian caps as a part of his football program.
“I feel that they help protect our players from not just head injuries in practice, but also from soft tissue injuries like taking a helmet to the thigh or arm,” Noe said.
Players wear the caps during each practice and wore them twice this season during scrimmages.
“I think that if players in the NFL start wearing them more in games, there will be a trickle-down effect at the high school level,” Noe said.
Military families left feeling grateful for Gronk’s unwavering support to service members and military-connected students.
“Thank you guys for everything you do and it’s just always great to give back,” Gronk said.
For more information, watch the video above to hear the full interview and a special message from Gronk.
