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Rob Gronkowski is a future Hall of Famer and arguably the best tight end in NFL history. Before he embarked on that kind of career, though, he was just a regular player trying to get more prominent. The way in which he approached this left him in a very awkward situation.
In 2011, when he was still an up and coming player, Gronkowski took a couple of pictures with an adult film star named BiBi Jones. She was pretty popular at the time and Gronkowski thought that her fame could increase his. They took a picture together in which she was wearing a New England Patriots jersey with his name on the back.
Jones said on the Howard Stern Show:
“I went into the room to take a picture with him and he said, ‘Put on my jersey.' I asked him, ‘Can I put these on my Twitter?’ He was cool with it because I have more Twitter followers than him and he wanted me to get him more Twitter followers.”
In one of the pictures, Jones posed with a shirtless Gronkowski, which led to speculation online that the two were more than just acquaintances. Given her career, the picture itself and Gronk's personality, the internet ran with this.
It prompted a response from the adult star herself, who shot down any rumors:
"He wanted me to get him more Twitter followers," she said on 98.5 the Sports Hub. "Nothing happened. I wish something happened, but nothing happened. I really, really, really wish it would have happened."
Rob Gronkowski apologized after awkward BiBi Jones situation
Rob Gronkowski had to issue an apology after the pictures surfaced. He said he didn't intend to tarnish the reputation of the Patriots and that he just wanted to move on from the situation.
“I didn't send anything to hurt the reputation of anyone on the New England Patriots or on behalf of [owner] Robert Kraft. That's all, just a simple picture, that's all. From here on out, I'm just here to talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the big game this weekend.”
The issue took some attention off of Tom Brady, who wasn't upset about it:
“I'm just glad I'm no longer the one that people are making fun of on my team on a daily basis," Brady said. "Gronk has definitely pulled into the lead there.”
Gronkowski appeared to have learned his lesson and avoided such situations, for the most part, in the future.
