Rob Gronkowski Says Chiefs Are ‘Definitely’ Getting Special Treatment

Rob Gronkowski counts himself as one of the skeptics who thinks there’s something fishy going on with the Kansas City Chiefs’ third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl. 

As the Chiefs prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, February 9, the narrative surrounding the team and their alleged preferential treatment from NFL officials has reached a fever pitch. 

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Gronkowski, 35, argued that it’s far more than just a coincidence. 

“It’s at another level for the Kansas City Chiefs right now,”  Gronkowski claimed while speaking to Us via his partnership with Avocados From Mexico. “I think definitely they’re more lenient to giving them more calls over anyone else.”

In the playoffs alone, collective eyebrows have been raised about some controversial calls that have gone in favor of the Chiefs. During Kansas City’s Divisional Round game against the Houston Texans on January 18, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the beneficiary of two questionable roughing the passer penalties, which Mahomes, 29, was forced to address after the game. 

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was accused of a “flop” that led to an unnecessary roughness penalty against Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Brandon Phillips during the AFC Championship game on Sunday, January 26. Later in the game, a razor-thin 4th and 1 call went the Chiefs way, which led to a social media scuffle between Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy.

Gronkowski, a four-time Super Bowl champion, wished he had received the same treatment when he and the New England Patriots were running roughshod through the AFC in the 2010s.

“When I was on the Patriots, I never got any calls,” Gronkowski said. “I was actually getting held. I was basically getting chopped right off the line of scrimmage and just hit the whole entire route. I was never getting calls my way. I didn’t get any.”

As for his former quarterback Tom Brady, Gronkowski claimed he “got a couple calls his way when I was on the team.” Still, Gronkowski said the sport has drastically evolved since their time together in New England.

“Tom used to get lit up back in the day,” Gronkowski explained. “If you’ve seen some of those clips on Instagram, it’s like, ‘Whoa.’ Your jaw is dropping about how much he used to get lit up. I’m glad the game has changed a little bit and those hits have lessened up on quarterbacks.”

Gronkowski and Brady, 47, won three Super Bowls together with the Patriots — in 2015, 2017 and 2019 — before winning another championship as teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. 

As for this year’s Super Bowl between the Chiefs and Eagles, Gronkowski will have plenty of guacamole around to gorge on for the big game, all thanks to Avocados From Mexico.

“We’re trying to get guac on every game day table,” Gronkowski said. “That’s what it’s all about. We actually created the first-ever Guac Pack, which can hold your chips and guacamole. I prefer the buffalo guacamole because I’m from Buffalo, so it just goes hand-in-hand. No doubt about that.”

Gronkowski is also inviting fans to participate in the first-ever Gronkamole Challenge, during which viewers will get the chance to guess how many avocados Gronkowski can eat for a chance to win prizes including the Big Game Guac Pack, an autographed book featuring his Gronkamole recipe, Gronk’s very own Avocados From Mexico jersey and more.

The Gronkamole Challenge goes down Wednesday, January 29, at 9 p.m. ET on the brand’s YouTube channel.