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FOX NFL Sunday Pulled a Wild Prank on Rookie Broadcaster Rob Gronkowski

Gronk's best on-air moment last season was not real. Or on-air.

Stephen Douglas

Michael Strahan and Jay Glazer react to a prank on Rob Gronkowski.
Michael Strahan and Jay Glazer react to a prank on Rob Gronkowski. / NFL on FOX
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Rob Gronkowski returned to FOX NFL Sunday in Week 4 after missing the last two weeks. The FOX crew took the opportunity to share a video from Gronkowski's rookie season where they pranked him in what he believed was a live spot.

The presmise was that Jay Glazer had breaking news about Dallas Cowboys' tight end Rich Russo who was coming back for the first time since he lost two fingers. The joke being that Russo is not a person who exists.

To Gronk's credit, he rolled with the news, spouted a cliche about him being rusty, and focused on the Cowboys' existing tight end, Jake Ferguson. As his co-hosts pushed him, he finally gave up and said, "I still have all five of my fingers." That's when everyone lost it.

The best part might be Gronk thinking they were laughing at him for saying he had five fingers instead of ten. That's when Curt Menefee explained that it was all a prank and Gronk confessed he had no idea who the non-existent player was.

This would have taken place on December 17, 2023. The Bills beat the Cowboys 31-10. Jake Ferguson was targeted eight times and caught six passes for 44 yards.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a Senior Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in journalism and media since 2008, and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Stephen spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and has previously written for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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