Only Rob Gronkowski Could Bring Up His Days of Getting Drunk While Accepting a Community Service Award

Watch Rob Gronkowski bring up his days of getting drunk all the time while accepting a community service award on Tuesday night.

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Complex Original

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How many NFL players could casually bring up their drunkest of days while accepting a community service award and get away with it? Not many. And frankly, not many would even bother to try to do it. Getting wasted and doing good deeds for the community don’t exactly go hand in hand. But apparently, Rob Gronkowski didn’t get the memo about leaving public intoxication out of his speech prior to accepting the Ron Burton Community Service Award from the Patriots during a fancy awards ceremony on Tuesday night.

Gronk is the 14th Patriots player to win the award, and prior to handing it over to him, New England owner Robert Kraft delivered a speech about why he was chosen to take it home this year. "Rob is just as fun to watch at a community event as he is on the game field," Kraft said. "Giving back to the community is a big part of being ‘Gronk.’ He is engaging with fans of all ages. His gregarious personality makes him one of our greatest ambassadors, especially when spreading cheer to children at local hospitals or schools. We love the devotion and enthusiasm that he shows in the community and are proud to present him with this year’s Ron Burton Community Service Award."

It was a nice speech on Kraft's part. But when Gronk took the stage on the field at Gillette Stadium, he did more than just talk about community service. He also touched on how crazy it is that the same guy who used to (and in some cases, still does) make headlines for partying every single weekend is now making them for doing good for those living in the New England area. "This is an honor to accept this award," he said. "Who would have ever thought five years ago when I was on ESPN every week getting drunk that I would be accepting this award?"

Only Gronk! You can watch a brief clip of his speech—and hear the crowd's reaction to his comments—in the clip above.

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