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Rob Gronkowski is considered one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. But last season, the FOX Sports analyst was still a relative rookie by the standards of his new team on “FOX NFL Sunday,” which was celebrating its 30th year on TV.
So the crew of the iconic NFL pregame show, including longtime cast members Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jay Glazer, decided to give the new guy some hazing. While previewing a late-season game between the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills last December, they put their prank into action.
“He thought we were going live with an extra segment,” Glazer explained. “Everybody at FOX knows this is not real — except for Gronk. And the premise was, I was going to ‘break news’ that the Cowboys were activating this great Pro Bowl tight end, who doesn’t exist. And Gronk has to go on what he thinks is live TV to talk about this tight end.”
The fake tight end’s name was Rich Russo. That also happens to be the name of the man who has directed five FOX Sports Super Bowl game broadcasts — but as a studio analyst, Gronkowski was unfamiliar with the real Rich Russo.
Sure enough, in the segment, Menefee is quickly “interrupted” and tosses to Glazer, who says he just got off the phone with Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and McCarthy told him that Russo will be active for Dallas’ game against the Bills in Buffalo. Gronkowski nods along — nervously — as Strahan raves about how Russo helps the Cowboys’ offense. The camera even cuts to a graphic with Russo’s supposed likeness.
Long then takes the bit a step further, claiming that some were comparing Russo to Gronkowski, prompting Menefee to ask the New England Patriots legend where he ranks Russo among current tight ends.
“Uh, he’s been out for a little bit so he might be a little rusty coming back, but I think they’re going to give him the opportunities, that’s for sure,” Gronkowski says.
To Gronkowski’s credit, he also says Russo could form a good 1-2…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/fox-nfl-sunday-crew-pranked-rob-gronkowski-live-tv
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Publish date : 2024-09-30 00:12:46
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