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Report: Here's Why Rob Gronkowski Missed 'FOX NFL Sunday' Yesterday

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Nov 25, 2024 3:12 PM ET

FOX NFL Sunday held its Week 12 show without Rob Gronkowski.

The former tight end has injected the FOX panel with energy ever since retiring. Although Terry Bradshaw recently appeared to forget that Gronkowski was a regular crew member, the 35-year-old is typically around every Sunday morning.

Bradshaw might not have noticed, but fans probably realized Gronkowski was missing on Sunday. And no, it had nothing to do with his colleague's slip-up.

Gronkowski was previously scheduled to appear at the grand opening of a Dick's Sporting Goods in Salem, New Hampshire. The New England Patriots icon was listed to visit the store from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET.

Some better planning could have placed his appearance on a different day. Alas, he had merchandise to sign (and presumably footballs to spike) elsewhere.

Without Gronkowski, FOX had nobody to jump from a helicopter into the water. If he was present, he might have tried driving the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 coupe inside the studio to promote Michael Strahan getting named the honorary Pace Car driver for next year's Indianapolis 500.

At least the appearance spared Gronkowski from talking about the Patriots on Sunday. The four-time Super Bowl champion's old team fell to 3-9 with a 34-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Jerod Mayo's defense allowed 317 passing yards and four touchdowns to Tua Tagovailoa.

But Gronk also missed a chance to trash-talk Strahan before an encounter between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants. Tampa Bay snapped a four-game losing streak with a decisive 30-7 blowout win at MetLife Stadium.

Depending on his schedule, fans could potentially see Gronkowski before FOX airs a Thanksgiving Day clash between the Giants and Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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