Former Patriot Harrison Rips Gronkowski For Partying After Super Bowl Loss
BOSTON (CBS) -- Back when the Patriots used to win the Super Bowl rather than lose it, there was a certain standard set by the veterans.
One of those veterans was Rodney Harrison, the hard-hitting safety who played with the Patriots from 2003-08. Harrison was a member of the Super Bowl-winning teams in '03 and '04, and he was also on the losing end of the could-have-been perfect season in 2007.
Now a television analyst, Harrison said on ESPN Radio on Wednesday that the partying that Rob Gronkowski did after the Super Bowl loss on Sunday would have never been OK during the dynasty era.
"I guarantee you this, if Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, Richard Seymour or myself had been at that party, [Gronkowski] probably would have got his head rung," Harrison told the Chicago radio station. "There's no reason for that to happen."
The 22-year-old Gronkowski was seen in pictures and video after the loss partying on stage with LMFAO and dancing with his shirt off. Harrison, who also lost a Super Bowl with San Diego in 1995, couldn't understand that behavior.
"When we lost the Super Bowl, any of my Super Bowl losses, I was so devastated the last thing I ever wanted to do was party, let alone dance or take off your shirt," he said. "It's just immaturity. It's not right. He made a mistake and I'm sure he feels absolutely stupid about it at this point. There's a time and place for everything.
"The leadership has to step up and someone has to pull him to the side and say, 'Look young man, this is inappropriate, this is not the time nor the place. You need to grow up,'" Harrison added.
