FOXBORO — Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski doesn’t need a football field to be a superstar.
Gronk is a cult hero, a pigskin-spiking, touchdown-scoring, dance-the-day-and-night-away football maniac and a rock star whose performance matches his personality for 16-plus Sundays a year.
But Gronk is also a life-changer in hospital rooms, on playgrounds and countless other places in the community. He has been a dream for the Patriots community affairs department, showing up in the 2014 offseason after finally recovering from knee surgery and asking how he could help with upcoming events.
In the last week alone, Gronkowski made a 16-year-old’s wish come true from the Make-A-Wish Foundation by playing football with him at Gillette Stadium, and Gronk sent a personalized video to Medway High School as they were coping over the death of 17-year-old senior Maddie Lamson.