Rob Gronkowski has made a career out of saying almost anything that comes to mind. Even he knows there are some jokes better left to somebody else.
The former New England Patriots tight end was asked about Adam Vinatieri roasting Bill Belichick during his Pro Football Hall of Fame speech. Gronkowski enjoyed the moment, but he made it clear he would not have gone there himself.
Rob Gronkowski Knows Where His Lane Ends
“I wouldn’t be sitting here right now talking to you if it wasn’t for Coach Belichick,” Gronkowski said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “I love Adam Vinatieri as well. I never played with him. The best kicker of all time, though.”
When asked for his reaction to Vinatieri’s speech, Gronkowski called the newly inducted Hall of Famer funny and a “great guy.”
Then came the obvious question: Would Gronkowski ever make the same kind of joke?
“I would not,” Gronkowski said. “I mean, maybe back in the day, but I gotta know my lane. And I guess Adam Vinatieri, he’s got a big lane out there.”
That is a notable answer from Gronkowski, a man whose public persona has never exactly screamed restraint. Apparently, even Gronk has discovered a boundary line.
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Vinatieri found that line and treated it like a field goal with the game hanging in the balance.
During hisviral speech, Vinatieri joked that Belichick could not attend because he was “judging his girlfriend’s cheerleading competition.” The line referenced Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson and produced one of the ceremony’s biggest reactions.
Vinatieri immediately made his actual feelings about his former coach clear, calling Belichick the greatest coach of all time.
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The Belichick roast was only one part of a speech loaded with jokes. Vinatieri also took shots at Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and former Indianapolis Colts teammate Pat McAfee while celebrating his induction.
The NFL career scoring record holder finished with 2,673 points and 599 field goals over 24 seasons. He won three Super Bowls with New England and another with Indianapolis, giving him plenty of credibility to take a few chances at the microphone.
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The Belichick joke, however, became the part that followed him off the stage.
Vinatieriexplained later that he wanted his speech to combine sentiment and comedy. He apologized to anyone who found the jokes inappropriate and said there was no animosity involved.
Gronkowski has his own reason for sticking up for Belichick. He spent nine seasons playing for him in New England and won three Super Bowls before finishing his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
So while Gronkowski appreciated Vinatieri’s sense of humor, he is not volunteering for the sequel.
For once, Gronk knows exactly where the line is. Vinatieri apparently brought a much longer measuring tape.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.