Terry Bradshaw was forced into making an on-air apology during FOX NFL Sunday as he didn’t seem to realize that Rob Gronkowski was a regular star.
The ‘FOX NFL Sunday’ crew were talking about the Detroit Lions, and how they romped to a 52-6 win over Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. Bradshaw then pointed to Gronkowski, who rejoined FOX’s coverage in 2022, and seemed to confuse him with a guest rather than staff. “The guy whose seat you’re sitting in right now, filling in for… Jimmy Johnson,” he said, referencing the 81-year-old former Dallas Cowboys coach who the network announced earlier this week had been given time off.
It was pointed out to Bradshaw that Gronkowski wasn’t just a stand-in, but on set all the time. Gronkowski even said: “Wow, yeah, I’m a part of the show, Terry!”
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Bradshaw quickly acknowledged his error. “Okay, I made a mistake,” he said. “All right, all right, I apologize, Gronk, you know I love you.”
The veteran television sports analyst, a former four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, then returned to the point he wanted to make about the Lions, Jaguars, and the importance of never underestimating one’s opponents.
“My point is Jimmy had the same approach,” said Bradshaw. “Jimmy’s thing as a coach was, ‘Always respect your opponent’. No matter how, you say, inferior, always respect your opponent and don’t ever give them hope.”
It’s not the only mishap Bradshaw has made on-air for FOX this season. Earlier in November, he could be heard stumbling over his words trying to commentate over a highlights package. Shortly after, he confused viewers when he seemed to contradict himself in his comments on Chicago Bears. On November 17, he appeared to confuse the audience once again when he mistook Sam Darnold for Jared Goff.
Gronkowski, meanwhile, first joined FOX in 2019, and returned in 2022 to appear on both ‘FOX NFL Sunday’ and ‘FOX NFL Kickoff’ shows. His first stint with the network was cut short when he left to reunite with Tom Brady and play ball for Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won his fifth Super Bowl in 2021, and then retired a second time in 2022.
After Brady signed a 10-year, $375 million to join FOX, Gronkowski was swift to offer words of advice to his friend and former teammate at both the Bucs and New England Patriots. “You’ve got to make the story sound better than it is,” he said, per the Daily Mail.
