Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski is known for being one of the greatest tight ends in football. And he wants that reputation to stay in football.
At ADWEEK House: Advertising HQ, the former NFL tight shared the wildest brand pitch he’s ever gotten, which would’ve involved the former tight end exposing his… well, you know what.
“When I was, like, 23 years old—and no, I did not accept this offer,” Gronkowski said. “But an adult website offered me $4 million to perform. I said ‘no’ right on the spot.”
The infamous 2013 offer from Sex.com would have paid the NFL player’s base salary, around $3.75 million, to have him participate in a scene.
At the time, news of the offer was enough to have national headlines declaring that Gronk was asked to put his “tight end” on camera. However, he hasn’t spoken much about the incident publicly.
Now, far removed from the moment, it’s a different story. And though he told the ADWEEK House audience that he declined the offer, Gronkowski wasn’t afraid to get cheeky: “I appreciate them knowing my talents,” he added.
Though Gronk was the only participant on the ADWEEK House panel to be offered nearly $4 million for a first-time acting role, the other participants, including representatives across all aspects of sports marketing from Dick’s Sporting Goods to the regenerative wearables company DNA Vibe also shared the wild pitches they’ve encountered.
David Young, VP of retail media at Dick’s Sporting Goods, recalled someone taking off their shoes before making his pitch. Meanwhile, Jeanniey Walden, chief marketing officer at Fluent, told the story of how, while working for JCPenney, she encountered a customer who wanted to pay off their credit card by starting a nightclub with the JCPenney CEO.
See all the wild pitches in the full panel below, starting at the 32-minute mark:
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