Rob Gronkowski was accidentally dodging Roger Goodell’s phone calls this year. The NFL commissioner wanted to reach out to the retired New England Patriots tight end to share some good news. But thinking someone was messing with him, a skeptical Gronkowski began to prank Goodell. Gronk told the story in an appearance on “Pardon My Take podcast.”
“I get a phone call from New York and it’s no caller ID,” Gronkowski said, as transcribed by WEEI. “And I’m just sitting there, like, ‘Man, I don’t want to answer this phone call. I don’t want to answer it.’ But, you know, I’m bored, I’m sitting there debating it, so I don’t answer.
“So then it calls back again and I’m like, ‘Ah, sure, I’ll answer, whatever. I’m going to mess around. Let me mess around with this phone call.’ So I answer, and I’m like (in high-pitched voice), ‘Helloo, helloo, who is this?'”
“Hey Rob, this is Roger Goodell,” the voice on the other line said. “This is Roger Goodell. Is this Rob Gronkowski?”
“And I was like, ‘Hellooo, hellooo’ and I’m just thinking, ‘Man, this is why I don’t answer people pranking me,'” Gronkowski said.
Apparently, Goodell kept repeating who he was and that he was looking for Gronk. Still, Gronkowski kept messing around with a high pitched voice. Goodell tried a final time, and left a voicemail.
“It ends up being Roger Goodell again,” Gronkowski said. “‘Hey Rob, it’s Roger Goodell. I am just looking for you. I am not sure if this is the right number or not and I just wanted to congratulate you. You have made the NFL top 100 players of all-time.’ … I called the office back, the number he told me to call, and he didn’t bring anything up about that phone call.”
