Terry Bradshaw had to correct himself and apologize on air after mistaking Rob Gronkowski’s role on FOX NFL Sunday.
The panel broke down the Detroit Lions’ 52-6 blowout over the Jacksonville Jaguars when Bradshaw mistook Gronkowski, a full-time cast member, as a fill-in guest for Jimmy Johnson.
‘The guy whose seat you’re sitting in right now, filling in while he’s on vacation, Jimmy Johnson,’ Bradshaw said, referencing the 81-year-old former Dallas Cowboys coach who was granted leave from the program.
The cast quickly pointed out to Bradshaw that the New England legend was a regular in the show. ‘He’s not filling in, he’s here all the time,’ Michael Strahan interjected.
‘Wow, yeah, I’m a part of the show, Terry,’ Gronkowski said. ‘Where are you going with that?’
Terry Bradshaw mistakenly referred to Rob Gronkowski as a sit-in member of FOX NFL Sunday
‘Okay, I get it, I made a mistake,’ Bradshaw said. ‘I apologize, Gronk. You know I love you.’
The crew had a brief moment of awkwardness before Troy Aikman asked Bradshaw to continue with his point.
‘My point is Jimmy had the same approach,’ Bradshaw proceeded. ‘Jimmy’s thing as a coach was, ‘Always respect your opponent’. No matter how, you say, inferior, always respect your opponent and don’t ever give them hope.’
Bradshaw is no stranger to strange and questionable remarks on air. Earlier this season, he stumbled over his words while commentating on a highlights package. Shortly after, Bradshaw contradicted himself while commenting about the Chicago Bears.
On Sunday, he appeared to confuse Vikings star Sam Darnold for Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
In 2022, Bradshaw said a player ‘would commit suicide,’ if he ran five or six runs in a row.
Gronkowski joined FOX in 2019 but left to play another season with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay
Gronkowski joined FOX in 2019 and returned in 2022 as a regular on both FOX NFL Sunday and FOX NFL Kickoff. He cut his first stint with the network short to reunite with Tom Brady on the field.
The iconic duo suited up for Tampa Bay where Brady won his seventh ring and Gronk’s fifth with the Buccaneers in 2021. Gronkowski retired from the NFL in 2022 and Brady hung his cleats up the following year.
Brady also joined FOX earlier this year, signing a 10-year, $375million deal to become the lead NFL analyst for the network.
