Rob Gronkowski Gets Pranked On Camera in Segment About a Fictional NFL Player: 'You Guys Had My Head Spinning'

Mar. 15, 2025

Rob Gronkowski attends the World Premiere of “Barbie” at Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on July 09, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.Photo:Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Rob Gronkowskiwas quick on his feet when his Fox Sports colleagues pulled an epic prank on the former NFL star.

Gronkowski, 35, was the subject of a hilarious prank in which hisFox NFL Sundayco-hosts Jay Glazer,Terry Bradshaw,Michael Strahan, Howie Long and Curt Menefee threw him into a segment about a fictional Dallas Cowboys player.

“He thought we were going live with an extra segment,” Glazer said to viewers before footage of Gronkowski’s prank played. “Everybody at Fox knows this is not real, except for Gronk.”

Rob Gronkowski.Tibrina Hobson/FilmMagic

Gronkowski looked confused as his co-hosts began discussing Russo’s style of play and their predictions for his fictional return to the field.

When Gronkowski was asked to chime in on the conversation, he was quick on his feet in adding some commentary about Russo potentially being “a little rusty coming back” after being injured.

The prank went on until Bradshaw told Gronkowski that Russo was missing “two fingers on his right hand,” to which the former Patriots tight end said: “So is that going to affect him when he’s catching a pass?”

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Gronk then added, “I still have all five of my fingers,” which prompted his co-hosts to burst into laughter and remind the former NFL star he has ten fingers in total.

Menefee came clean to Gronkowski after.

“This is a joke. Rich Russo doesn’t play for the Dallas Cowboys,” he said, much to Gronkowski’s surprise and relief.

“I was wondering! I was going to say, right when it was done, ‘Guys, I’ve never heard of Rich Russo in my life,'” Gronkowski told his co-hosts, adding, “You guys had my head spinning, that’s for sure.”

The Fox Sports crew showed Gronkowski footage of the prank in a later segment, which the retired player said he was “so excited” to see.

“I’ve learned two things from it — that I am a funny guy,” Gronkowski said. “Number two is that I’m always ready,” he added of his ability to quickly pretend like he had heard of Russo while the cameras were rolling.

Gronkowski first joined the Fox broadcast crew in 2019 after retiring from the NFL. He’s become a fan-favorite addition to the network’s commentary team, which also recently added Gronkowski’s former teammateTom Brady.

source: people.com