Rob Gronkowski defends Bill Belichick about Patriots run, 'The Dynasty'

Bill Belichick is sometimes portrayed as the villain in Apple TV's "The Dynasty: New England Patriots" docuseries, but retired tight end Rob Gronkowski passionately defended his former head coach during an appearance on the latest edition of the "Eye on Foxborough" podcast. 

"It was very sad to see coach Belichick go, because there wouldn’t have been a dynasty, there wouldn’t have been 20-plus years of a winning culture in New England without coach Belichick," Gronkowski said about Belichick's departure from the Patriots in January, per Chris Mason of MassLive. "He set the standard. Coach Belichick was the standard. Without him, none of this was possible. There’s no doubt about that. To see him go was sad. I mean, I had a tear. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today."

Gronkowski earned three Super Bowl rings playing under Belichick from 2010 through the 2018 season and hasn't always spoken glowingly about "The Patriot Way" embraced by the legendary coach. 

"The Dynasty" suggests that Belichick's treatment of quarterback Tom Brady in the second half of the 2010s was a big reason Brady left the Patriots to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020. Gronkowski ended a one-season retirement to join Brady in Tampa Bay that same spring. 

Gronkowski and Brady helped the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV in their first campaign together with that organization. 

"I’m so glad I went to the New England Patriots," Gronkowski said about his overall relationship with Belichick. "That fit my lifestyle. That fit my culture. It fit who I am as a person. I believe that I was (destined) to go to the New England Patriots as well. I would not change my first nine years of being with the New England Patriots."

Some have called "The Dynasty" project "anti-Belichick" for how the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach is made to look throughout the series. 

As shared by Matt Vautour of MassLive, former Patriots safeties Devin McCourty and Rodney Harrison are among those who played under Belichick who were left bothered by how the 71-year-old was depicted in the documentary. 

"I kind of needed that structure as well in my life," Gronkowski added about joining the Patriots as a 2010 second-round draft pick. "I wouldn’t be where I am right now to this day without coach Belichick being tough on myself and helping me get to the next level at practice or in a game. So I would never, ever, ever change a thing."

Perhaps Belichick will offer his sides of stories featured in "The Dynasty" if he works as an in-studio NFL analyst later this year. 

Gronkowski serves as an "NFL on Fox" personality during seasons and presumably would enjoy working alongside Belichick even for a handful of segments.