ESTERO, Fla. — An approximately 22-hour drive used to separate Diane Gronkowski from her NFL star tight end son, but his move to the Buccaneers means he plays just two hours from her South Florida home.
And she could not be more excited.
“You’re watching him on TV and you know they’re far away. And it’s like 12 hours later he’s in your living room,” Diane said to WINK News.
After a brief retirement, her son, Rob Gronkowski ended up back in the NFL to play alongside his old buddy Tom Brady for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Now his mom is cashing in on all the extra time that was impossible to get when he played in New England, especially when having a recognizable child makes alone time difficult.
“Alone time with your son when they’re so famous is very tough to do,” his mom told the station. “You hardly ever get to see them. And then when you do, there’s usually a lot of people around.”
The shorter commute means more time together and the start of weekly traditions. Diane can more easily attend home games and when Gronk returns from being away he always heads home for a home-cooked meal.
“He’ll be in the car and he’ll say, ‘Hey mom, I’m coming to see you and let’s have this for dinner and this for dinner and this for dinner,'” Diane told WINK.
The mother of five has a simple message for Gronk while he prepares to play in the first home stadium Super Bowl in NFL history and pushed for his fourth Super Bowl ring.
"Good luck and have fun."
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