TAMPA, Fla. — Super Bowl champ Rob Gronkowski just can't get enough of his lil' baby rhino at ZooTampa at Lowry Park.
Back in October, the zoo announced "two Gronks are better than one!" in naming their newest rhinoceros after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end. Gronkowski said it was an honor to have the baby animal named after him.
And, just maybe, the two could be someway, somehow related.
"Let me tell you something, people say I look like a dinosaur and they call me 'Gronk-o-saurus.' So, I think you are my long-lost cousin out there," Gronkowski said.
The Zoo recently tweeted that just over five months old, baby Gronk is up to almost 600 pounds. He's on track to reach his parents' weight, upward of 4,000-5,000 pounds.
"He is so handsome," the real Gronkkowsi responded in approval.
NECN reports it's the first time Gronkowski, formerly of New England Patriots fame, has had an animal named after him. Other Patriots stars, like Julian Edleman, had a seal named after him by the Mystic Aquarium.
Tom Brady, now a Bucs GOAT, actually had a rescue goat named after him. There was that cockroach, too, at Zoo Atlanta after the Atlanta Falcons loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.
- J&J's single-shot COVID vaccine get FDA emergency use authorization
- Biden hails House passage of $1.9T virus bill, now to Senate
- Rays 101: Your ultimate guide to jumping on the bandwagon this season
- Hospital employee charged with stealing more than $900 from COVID-19 patient's wallet, police say
- AP sources: Feds pinpoint suspect in officer's Capitol riot death
- '40,000 cases daily': Florida scientists say U.K. variant could spark a 4th wave of COVID-19 infections in the state
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter