The Gronk To Replace High School Football Equipment Lost In Fire

TAMPA, FL — He's only been in Tampa for a little more than a month but the Tampa Bay Bucs' new tight end is already spreading good will.

In a Twitter post Tuesday, Rob Gronkowski announced that he was replacing the football equipment Blake High School lost when its equipment shed was intentionally set on fire last month.

The 10- by 20-foot shed on the east side of the campus of Blake High School, 1701 North Boulevard, Tampa, was destroyed by fire May 16 and, along with it, an estimated $11,000 in football gear including practice dummies, pads, practice equipment, field markers and game-day equipment.

The Tampa Fire Marshal's Office arrested a juvenile for two counts of second-degree arson and one count of burglary.

Gronkowski announced that his family's nonprofit foundation is teaming up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation to replace the storage shed and the sports equipment inside.

“Last week, we heard about an unfortunate incident in Tampa where a fire burned down a high school storage shed full of their team’s football equipment,” Gronkowki said in a video. “Sadly, they lost it all. Well, my Gronk Nation Youth Foundation, and my new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are all about helping youth reach their full potential. So we’re going to do just that. To the Blake High School Yellow Jackets, you’re getting a brand-new storage unit and all new football equipment to replace everything that was lost.”

The Gronk Nation Youth Foundation was started by Gronkowski and his four brothers, three of which also played football with the NFL. The oldest brother, Gordie, was the odd man out. He played professional baseball.

The brothers started the foundation to provide youngsters with the tools they need to follow their sports dreams.

In April, Gronkowski, who retired from the NFL in March 2019 after three Super Bowl championships with the New England Patriots, announced he was rejoining his former Patriots teammate, Tom Brady, in Tampa to play for the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Gronkowski and Brady spent nine seasons together in New England, combining for 78 touchdowns, a mark which ranks second all-time among quarterback-tight end connections and fifth in league history among all quarterback-receiver duos. The 7,786 regular season passing yards accumulated from Brady to Gronkowski also rank second among all quarterback to tight end combinations, trailing only Philip Rivers/Antonio Gates (9,352).

Already reeling from the news that the Patriots' quarterback with six Super Bowl championships and 17 division titles signed a contract in March to play for the Bucs, fans were ecstatic to learn that Gronkowski was coming out of retirement to join him.

While playing again with his BFF Tom Brady was part of his reason for coming out of retirement, Gronkowski told Ellen during an interview on her show that the main reason was to be closer to his mom, Diane, who lives in Ft. Myers.

"Tom was like the appetizer, and there were a few other reasons," Gronkowski told Ellen. "I love the weather. But the main reason I came down to Tampa was because my mother lives two hours away. She can get to all eight of my home games. Whenever I have days off, she's two hours down the street and I get to see her. She's super excited."

See related stories:

• Tampa Fire Rescue Called To Shed Fire At Blake High School
• Is The Gronk Really Headed To Tampa Bay To Play For The Bucs?
• Tom Brady Says He's Just Making Himself At Home In 'Tompa Bay'