New England Patriots - NESN.com
It’s been a busy week for the New England Patriots. Just a couple of days ago, they earned their seventh-straight win with a 28-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since then, they have had to quickly prepare for a Thursday Night Football contest with the New York Jets, while also unveiling their new Nor’Easter “Rivalries” jerseys.
To top it all off, the team signed former tight end Rob Gronkowski to a one-day contract on Wednesday, allowing him to retire as a member of the franchise he began his historic NFL career with. And as it turns out, that’s not all Gronkowski will be doing in Foxboro, MA this week.
With the team playing at Gillette Stadium in Week 11, the timing of Gronkowski’s one-day contract made it seem very likely that he would be the team’s “Keeper of the Light” for their upcoming game. Sure enough, shortly after Gronk signed his new contract, it was revealed he would be ringing the bell atop the lighthouse at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night.
The “Keeper of the Light” was a new tradition implemented in the 2023 campaign after the $250 million renovations at Gillette Stadium were completed. With a big bell being stationed atop the 22-story lighthouse behind the north endzone, the team tasks someone with attending the game as a guest to ring the bell before the action gets underway.
After signing former defensive tackle Lawrence Guy to a one-day contract last month, he earned the honors of being the team’s “Keeper of the Light” before their Week 8 victory over the Cleveland Browns. So to see Gronk get similar treatment isn’t all that surprising.
There are quite a few reasons to be excited for New England’s upcoming game, and Gronkowski’s presence should only add to the fun. Kickoff for this important divisional clash is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.
