New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will be absent Saturday when one of the key cogs of the team’s Super Bowl dynasty — retired tight end Rob Gronkowski — is inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.
“As much pain as I was in before having (back) surgery, it pains me even more to miss the ceremony,” Kraft, 85, told ESPN.
The ceremony will take place at Patriot Place Plaza outside the gates of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
Gronkowski was elected to the Patriots Hall of Fame in April in his first year of eligibility. He will be the 38th person to be honored and the fourth inductee in a row to hoist at least three Lombardi Trophy awards, joining wide receiver Julian Edelman in 2025, quarterback Tom Brady in 2024 and linebacker Mike Vrabel in 2023.
Vrabel now is the head coach of the team.
Gronkowski, 37, was a member of the teams that won the Super Bowl in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
In 115 regular-season games (100 starts) with the Patriots, Gronkowski made 521 catches for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdown catches.
He won another Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and retired following the 2022 NFL season.