Former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and safety Patrick Chung have vehemently disowned a recent story regarding their former NFL teammate Rob Gronkowski as a negligent party animal.
The report alleged that Gronkowski would engage in late-night party activities and collapse on training tables within the team's locker room. Edelman dismissed the account as "BS" on Twitter and characterized it as an endeavor to portray Gronkowski as a wild partygoer.
The assertions were put forth by Jake Bequette, a former defensive end for the Patriots, during an appearance on Prime Time with Alex Stien podcast. During the broadcast, Bequette detailed how Gronk would party all night long, then show up at the team facility inebriated to the point where trainers would have to assist.
“We all had these key fobs that gave us 24/7 access to the Patriots’ facility there in Foxborough, and during the offseason, Gronk would go out all night with his boys in Boston. [He would] stay up till three or four in the morning, whatever it was, and have his crew drop him off at the Patriots facility," said Bequette on the show.
“So then, like an hour or two later, when the trainers would come in to start their workday, they’d come in there and see Gronk just sprawled out on the training table, just fast asleep. They would go over there. They wouldn’t wake him up. They would roll up one of his sleeves and, you know, stick an IV in his arm.”
Bequette admitted that Gronkowski would still perform to Hall of Fame-level standards despite the partying on game day. Gronkowski also previously stated that his partying actually helped his NFL career rather than hurt it.
Edelman took to social media to dismiss Bequette by quote tweeting the original story tweeted out by Fox News.
"Story is BS," wrote Edelman on Twitter. "Everyone wants to paint Gronk as a party animal. When in reality, he was one of the most dedicated teammates I had."
Chung, another long-time Patriots teammate of the veteran tight end, supported Edelman's point of view and joined him in dispelling the Gronkowski IV tale while using the need for attention as the catalyst for telling the story.
"Exactly," agreed Chung on Twitter via a quote tweet. " People just want their time of fame. Willing to do anything to get it."
The former NFL tight end won four Super Bowls as a member of the Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Through 11 NFL seasons, Gronkowski racked up 621 receptions, 9,286 yards, and 92 touchdowns - ranking 12th all-time in regular season touchdown receptions.
Alongside the statistics, Gronkowski also earned four NFL First-Team All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl appearances.
