Julian Edelman Tells a Rob Gronkowski Story That Is the Most Rob Gronkowski Story

Also in Traina Thoughts: brand-new ‘SI Media With Jimmy Traina’; Giannis’s brother had to be held back; Ernie Johnson’s big night; and more.

1. Rob Gronkowski was a guest on Julian Edelman’s Games With Names podcast this week. The show was filled with stories about their time together at teammates in New England.

They mocked the the Colts for starting Deflategate.

They talked about the time Gronk went “Beast Mode” on a Colts defensive player, leading to a 15-year penalty that, as Edelman put it, “low-key turned Coach on,” referring to Bill Belichick.

And then there was shower talk. This is where we got the full Gronk experience. This is where Gronk came to life.

For some reason, the future Hall of Fame tight end was more than willing to tell everyone that Edelman used to make fun of him because after showering with Gronk’s brother, Dan, who briefly played for the Patriots, Edelman would mock Rob for not being as endowed.

While most fellas might not want this story told on a podcast, Gronk was so eager to get it out there that he even called Dan on the air to confirm the story.

Edelman then followed that up with his own story about Gronk and the size of certain pieces of anatomy.

“Every day in the morning, I’d be pissing,” explained Edelman, “and Gronk would come up and, you know, you have the things that divide you, and Gronk is so much taller that he would literally look over, and he goes, ‘Wow, Jules, your piece looks big today.’”

Here’s why this is great. If you were told this story without knowing who was involved and you had to guess which NFL player looks over the stall and comments about what he sees, all of you would guess Gronk. 

In an age when athletes are so protective of their “brands,” it’s good to still have people like Gronk around. A guy who just gives us who he is and couldn’t be more likable. 

Plus, it was awfully magnanimous of Gronk to compliment Edelman’s manhood after Edelman had insulted his.

2. A brand-new episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina dropped this morning, and it features an interview with New York Post sports media reporter Andrew Marchand.

Marchand discusses the news that NBC will not be using Al Michaels to call one of its four NFL playoff game this season; the fallout from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi erroneously reporting on a Shohei Ohtani flight to Toronto, leading to speculation that he'd sign with the Blue Jays; and whether the NBA’s in-season tournament was a success.

Other topics covered with Marchand include Troy Aikman’s pulling no punches regarding NFL officials, why flex scheduling is useless for Thursday Night Football, Tony Romo’s season and much more.

Following Marchand, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week we talk about the curious response to Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito, why YouTube is such a better home for NFL Sunday Ticket than DirecTV and more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel.

3. If you’re an NBA fan, surely you’ve seen the story about Giannis Antetokounmpo getting upset with the Pacers for taking the game ball after he scored a career-high 64 points in a 140–126 win Wednesday night.

That wasn’t the only notable incident from the game. After Aaron Nesmith was called for a flagrant foul on Giannis, Giannis’s brother Thanasis had to be held back on the bench in what was truly a spectacular reaction.

4. The great Ernie Johnson was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame on Wednesday, and a few of his friends showed up to surprise him.

5. Ian Eagle, calling the Nets-Suns game on the YES Network, acknowledged the “announcer jinx” and caused the “announcer jinx” in one fell swoop.

6. ESPN aired a 30 for 30 Wednesday night about Reggie White. This play was featured, and it’s one of those “Imagine if Twitter had been around” moments.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Today would’ve been the 74th birthday of former major league first baseman Bill Buckner. Many, many years after his famous World Series error, he would find redemption.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.