Former tight end Rob Gronkowski won his fourth and final Super Bowl in Tampa Bay. He did it in his very first year with the team, fresh off a one-year break from the NFL. Sure, taking a year off can help you recharge physically and mentally, but jumping back in and going all the way in a brand-new environment is a different challenge. Everything feels unfamiliar, and even the most normal interactions can get a little awkward — as Gronk recently revealed.
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On an episode of his podcast Dudes on Dudes, co-hosted by former teammate Julian Edelman, Gronk shared an awkward, yet slightly terrifying, interaction with Vita Vea.
Vea, a 6-foot-4, 347-pound force on the defensive line, had an unexpected reaction when Gronk slapped his behind out of sheer excitement. Nothing unusual, it’s just one of those things athletes do to hype each other up in the locker room or on the field. But Vea wasn’t having it.
“One time, I slapped Vita Vea’s as*, and I go, ‘Let’s go, let’s have a day.’ And he looked at me like he was gonna kill me,” Gronk recalled.
Then came the warning: “He was like, ‘Never slap my as* again.'”
The former TE quickly backed off, “I was like, ‘No Problem, Vita, whatever you say, I’ll do.’ To this day, I never slapped his as* again.”
Hilarious: The legendary Gronk tells a story about slapping Tevita Tuliʻakiʻono Tuipulotu Mosese Vaʻhae Fehoko Faletau Vea’s ass.
“Till this day, I never slapped his a** again”
(via @DudesOnDudesPod) pic.twitter.com/LNTsvPJk5I
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 12, 2025
We’re in the same boat as Gronk. If Vita Vea told us not to do something, we’d listen. It’s not exactly clear when the two athletes had this awkward exchange, but hopefully it happened before the Super Bowl win, because we all know a ring mends all wounds and tempers.
At the age of 30, Vita is going strong, as he heads into his eighth season in the league. Back in 2022, after Gronk retired for good, Vita signed a four-year, $71 million contract with the Bucs. And he’s been living up to it, playing 14 or more games each season. Last year, he earned his second Pro Bowl nod after racking up a career-best 7 sacks.
