You know Rob Gronkowski for one of two reasons — his dominant performance in NFL games as a tight end for the New England Patriots, or his larger-than-life personality off the field.
While Gronk is known for being the life of the party — once infamously claiming "Yo Soy Fiesta"(opens in a new tab) — he is only getting better on the field, which is scary for NFL defenses.
So, how is it that Gronk has achieved this ideal work-life balance?
"You just got to approach it by putting work first ... putting what got you there first," Gronkowski said in a phone interview with Mashable. "Always put your work first, go full speed, do as much as you possibly can, and then after you can get it done, you can go enjoy yourself."
Gronk is not only enjoying himself — he's finding ways to turn his fun-loving nature(opens in a new tab) into a secondary career during the offseason.
Most recently, Gronk has been exploring the comedy game, producing a series of short videos for Oberto Beef Jerky alongside Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.
While Gronk and Sherman have been on-field rivals in many games, including Super Bowl XLIX, he said it was nothing but love while filming these ads. "Obviously on the field we’re competitive, but off the field it’s a different lifestyle, and it was cool just seeing him, hanging out, and the way that we gelled was pretty cool."
At only age 26, Gronkowski is poised for many more years of NFL stardom, but even he acknowledges that "we know that football’s not always going to be there." And while he's sure to specify that he "definitely puts football first," he acknowledges that the entertainment industry could be an enticing option when it's eventually time to hang up the cleats.
"In the offseason, [it's] definitely cool to seek new adventures out there, see what the film industry’s all about, filming commercials, doing other things, so definitely interesting and could definitely be a possibility down the road."
Gronkowski has been more active on social media in the offseason as well, joining Instagram(opens in a new tab) and even appearing in some of Tom Brady's Facebook videos. Unfortunately, if you were hoping for some epic Gronk Snapchat stories, he says that for now, "I got Instagram and that’s enough for me."
Gronk is clearly enjoying his offseason, and it looks like he's making the right initial steps in the entertainment industry for a career there somewhere down the road.
You can bet that when training camp starts, though, it will be back to business for Gronkowski. New England coach Bill Belichick will be sure to help with that.
When asked if Belichick knows what the players are doing on social media, Gronk acknowledges "He barely understands it … and he’s not interested I don’t think."
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