Dunlap: Gronk Should Be Fined
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - OK, let us get some things straight:
- I'm the farthest thing from prudish.
- I wasn't offended.
- I really like New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
- I actually did laugh. Pretty hard, actually. I don't know, maybe it is the 17-year-old in me that, in knee jerk form, laughs at stuff like that.
Let us get something else straight here after getting through all that:
Gronkowski should be fined by the NFL for consistency sake if the league wants to be taken seriously.
You see, in the aftermath of the Patriots' Sunday afternoon delight in Pittsburgh, where they bested the Steelers 27-16 at Heinz Field, the most-of-the-time sidesplitting Gronkowski took his comedy act to the podium.
He was asked about a touchdown he caught a little while earlier against the Steelers, one that marked the 68th in his career.
Gronkowski couldn't pass up the chance. Oh no, he just had to. You knew he'd go there, right?
"One more and I got 69 touchdowns, if you know what I mean," he said. "Only you know what I mean, baby."
Yeah, Rob. We know what you mean. We pretty much all know what you mean. If you don't, I suggest you go look it up.
It was laugh-out-loud funny to some. It was cringeworthy to others. And, still to others, it might have been offensive.
Again, for me, I wasn't bothered by it but I can see where others could have taken it as offensive, as it was an overt sexual reference in a pretty public place --- an NFL postgame media session that was apparently aired live in the Boston market.
Therein is the whole crux of it, the sexually suggestive part of what Gronkowski said and how the league has made such strides to cut down on those things.
When Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown was deemed to have danced in a sexually suggestive manner in the season-opener against Washington, he got hit for more than $9,000 for that little twerk.
When Brown took his dancing ways into the end zone against Kansas City earlier this month, a few pelvic thrusts resulted in him being separated from $24,309 of his money.
It was all about image to the NFL, all about trying to keep a wholesome product pieced together as much as they can.
Those Brown dances --- and the subsequent fines, really --- are the basis for the argument for fining Gronkowski. If they want to be consistent, the sexually suggestive words as he spoke in an NFL postgame press conference need to carry a punishment from the league.
Again, I'll admit it. I'm guilty. I laughed when Gronkowski said what he said. I even copied the video and tweeted it out and it got oodles of retweets and favorites. It didn't bother me in the least.
But I'm not the one handing out the fines. The NFL is.
That said, if a couple hip gyrations from Antonio Brown are fine-worthy, Gronkowski alluding to a sexual position should be.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
