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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers received some major news on Tuesday, as star tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL. Gronkowski who played two of his 11 seasons with the Buccaneers, clearly left an impact on the franchise, as he helped lead them to a Super Bowl in 2020. Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht felt that impact as much as anyone. Licht reacted to the Gronkowski retirement news with a statement, which was shared via the team's Twitter account.
"Rob is a true professional who left it all on the field for us the past two seasons and helped establish a championship culture in our building."
🗣: @jasonrlicht on @RobGronkowski pic.twitter.com/RWbPhHqYJa
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) June 21, 2022
Licht called Gronkowski a “true professional” who “helped establish a championship culture” with the Buccaneers. Clearly Licht, who said it was “difficult” to see Gronkowski walk away in retirement while playing at such a high level, is emotional.
However, the Buccaneers executive feels respect and appreciation for the legendary tight end. Gronkowski, as Licht stated, was a huge part of the team's championship core back in 2020, then was on his way to an excellent campaign this past season amid rib, lung and back injuries.
The veteran tight end originally announced his retirement back in 2019 as a member of the New England Patriots, though he returned to the NFL in 2020, joining the party in Tampa Bay after Tom Brady signed with the franchise.
Now, Gronkowski can ride off into the sunset. And Licht is grateful- and sad to see him go.
