Avowed Film-Avoider Rob Gronkowski Backtracks, Says He Eats Hella Tape

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end and lager behemoth Rob Gronkowski got some laughs when he joined the Manning brothers on this week's Monday Night Football broadcast and joked about how he never watches film, although it wasn't fully clear that it was a joke. Gronk said his preferred strategy is simply to "run by guys," though he said he'll study up on the gameplan by bugging quarterback Tom Brady for his notes or catching a bit of film "when the team is showing it," a response that raises more questions than it answers. He could have explained further, but his dog started going nuts.

On Wednesday, Gronkowski attempted to set the record straight, perhaps because his coach Bruce Arians threatened him with the punishment of having to practice. "I actually watch tons of film," said Gronk, who last February had admitted that he would film multiple virtual workouts in different clothes on the same day to trick the Buccaneers' strength and conditioning coach. "An overload of film." He willingly expanded his answer with a specific example:

Someone so dedicated to eating tape that they draw projectile fire must be a studious teammate. However, Defector's Kalyn Kahler reached out to Gronkowski's partner Camille Kostek for some confirmation, and she painted a different picture: Gronk is feeling silly today; Gronk has never watched so much film that Kostek has had to throw anything at him.

The only consistent part throughout this film-or-no-film saga is that Gronk "just says things to say them."