Rob Gronkowski was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday afternoon in a move that excited fans of the NFC South team. The division rivals, on the other hand, were not as happy about the transaction. The Carolina Panthers even reacted by unearthing a clip from Gronkowski’s infamous LEGO moment on New Year’s Eve.
The Panthers’ social media team posted a 10-second clip on Twitter after the trade, showing Gronkowski and Steve Harvey co-hosting FOX’s New Year’s Eve show. The All-Pro tight end had just smashed a LEGO bust of Harvey’s face and was celebrating. “Are you serious?” Harvey asked while staring at the pile of building blocks on the ground. “I don’t wanna work with him no more. Why is he here? Why are you here?”
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— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) April 21, 2020
The incident occurred with fewer than 20 minutes remaining before the clock turned to midnight. Gronkowski picked up a LEGO bust of Harvey’s face and slammed it onto the ground. It shattered into hundreds of pieces while the longtime comedian/TV host expressed joking frustration. Harvey said that it’s really hard to find brown LEGO blocks in order to recreate his face. He then described Gronkowski as mentally imbalanced, which many fans on social media viewed as evidence that this was just a joke.
Harvey did later provide clarification during a sidewalk interview with TMZ. He explained that it was all an act and that Gronkowski is “a cool dude.” As he continued to explain, the bust was impressive, but Harvey knew that his wife would not let him keep it around the house. Having the former tight end break it in such a memorable manner simply provided him with an easy out.
Harvey may have been joking about wanting to work with Gronkowski again, but the Panthers may actually be expressing concern about the 2020 season in joke form. This NFC South team will now have to face off with Brady and Gronkowski twice during the upcoming season, equalling the number of times that the big tight end played the Panthers during his first nine seasons in the league.
Gronkowski caught four passes for 80 yards in 2017 and five passes for 59 yards and one touchdown in 2013. Interestingly enough, the Patriots lost both of these games to the Panthers. Although there have been frequent comments about whether or not linebacker Luke Kuechly committed a penalty on the game’s final play when he held Gronkowski in the end zone.
Kuechly is no longer on the Panthers after he retired on Jan. 8, which means that the team will need to find someone that can keep up with Gronkowski during two separate games. This Buccaneers offense will feature several impressive receiving options for Brady, including Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and O.J. Howard. Stopping this group will not be a simple matter, and the Panthers are already thinking about the matchups.
