Rob Gronkowski to Donate Equipment to High School Football Team After Fire Hits Storage Shed

Rob Gronkowski and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing something extraordinary for one local high [...]

By Brian Jones

Rob Gronkowski and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing something extraordinary for one local high school. On Tuesday, Gronk and the Bucs announced they are going to donate football equipment to Blake High School in Tampa, Florida, after a fire hit the team's storage shed. It was reported an estimated $15K worth of supplies were destroyed in the fire.

"Hey everyone, 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," Gronk said in a video posted by the Bucs official Twitter account. "Sadly, they lost it all. Well, the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation and my new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are all about helping youth reach their full potential. So, we're gonna do just that. To the Blake High School Yellow Jackets, you're getting a brand new storage unit and new football equipment to replace everything that was lost."

The fire happened in May, and head coach Duane Thomas couldn't believe it happened. "I was kind of in shock when I heard," he said to the Tampa Bay Times. "We were talking about (possibly) July 15 to start practicing again. That equipment is essential." Among the many items that were lost were field markers, pylons, chains, practice equipment, pop-up dummies, pads and all daily workout gear. Junior varsity coach Michael Castellana said, "It all could have cost more than $15,000 easily. The budgets are so tight. The money won't be there (in the yearly budget) to replace everything, let alone 25 percent of it."

The good news is Blake High School won't have to worry about replacing the equipment because Gonk and the Bucs will take care of it. Also, Gronkowski also hints at the Bucs, possibly visiting the team shortly. Gronkowski joined the Bucs in April after the New England Patriots agreed to trade him. Gronk decided to return to football after retiring after the 2018 season. He will team up with Tom Brady who signed with the Bucs in March.

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