Gronk reveals why Tom Brady ‘absolutely hated’ Ochocinco when he first joined Patriots
Tom Brady wasn't always the social media-savvy star that he is today.
While the future Hall of Fame quarterback now boasts more than 15 million followers on his very active Instagram account, he was far too busy for any of that during the prime of his career.
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In fact, Brady was so focused on his game that he 'absolutely hated' one teammate who came into the New England Patriots locker room with a love for social media.
That person was Chad 'Ochocinco' Johnson, who was traded to New England in 2011 and played one season with the team.
Johnson was an NFL pioneer on Twitter (now known as X), becoming one of the league’s first players to amass a million followers on the platform.
He was also listed by CNBC as the 'most influential athlete' on social media when he signed with New England, ahead of the likes of LeBron James, Mike Tyson, Tiger Woods and Serena Williams.
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But according to Patriots legends Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, that didn't impress Brady.
“Tom absolutely hated that he was on Twitter,” Gronkowski revealed on their .
"(Johnson) got traded to the New England Patriots and he was always on Twitter still.
"Tom and Coach Belichick were just always grilling him, like 'Oh, get off freaking Twitter, it doesn't help you.' It never really affected his game, back then they just acted like it did."
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Edelman, who spent his 12-season career in New England, added that the Patriots 'just did things differently' as he explained the mindset of Belichick and Brady.
Gronkowski agreed, suggesting that Johnson 'didn’t comply' with that, which perhaps explains why he only played one season in Foxborough.
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The wide receiver built a reputation as one of the best in the NFL during his 10-year run with the Cincinnati Bengals.
He scored 66 touchdowns and was selected for six Pro Bowls with Cincinnati, while also leading the league in receiving yards in 2006.
But 'Ocho' didn't find the same success with the Patriots, and had statistically the least productive season of his career, catching 15 passes for 276 yards and one touchdown.
He was inactive for the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens, but went on to play in his first Super Bowl after, catching one pass for 21 yards.
The Patriots lost 21-17 to the New York Giants in that game, and Johnson was released months later.
Given he was 'always on Twitter', it's little surprise that 'Ocho' has gone on to forge a successful sports media career, and he now boasts more than five million followers across X and Instagram.
However, those numbers are blown out the water by Brady these days.
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