Rob Gronkowski’s girlfriend Camille Kostek explains why they didn’t attend Super Bowl

Retired NFL star starred in Super Bowl ad for FanDuel during big game

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Friday 17 February 2023 12:38 EST
Comments
American football star Rob Gronkowski stars in FanDuel Super Bowl ad

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Rob Gronkowski’s girlfriend Camille Kostek has revealed why the pair were not in attendance at the 2023 Super Bowl.

On Sunday 12 February, the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

However, Gronkowski and Kostek being in Arizona at the time, the couple were not able to attend the big game, as the former NFL star was busy filming a Super Bowl commercial.

“He shot the first-ever live Super Bowl commercial for FanDuel. He had that kick of destiny,” Kostek explained to Entertainment Tonight, adding: “[It was] a 30-second spot, [so] we had to shoot right over [the game].”

The athlete starred in FanDuel’s “Kick of Destiny” commercial, which saw the  retired tight end tasked with kicking a field goal kick. If Gronkowski made it, FanDuel promised to give away $10m in free bets to fans who’d already put money on the game.

Ahead of the attempt, Gronkowski told Entertainment Tonight that he was nervous for the kick, as he noted that it was “for America”.

However, he also admitted that he hadn’t “kicked” a football in years.

“This kick is for America,” he said. “This is $10m for all my fans out there. This is a kick of destiny. I gotta kick this right through the goal post for America.

“I haven’t kicked a football since seven years ago in a practice, so this is more nerve-racking than playing in a Super Bowl game.”

Although Gronkowski ended up missing the field goal, his attempt was still celebrated with cheers and fireworks, while FanDuel also fulfilled its promise anyway.

@RobGronkowski may have missed the #KickOfDestiny… BUT YOU STILL WIN: we’re still paying out the $10,000,000 in Bonus Bets!” the company tweeted alongside a video of the football star’s unsuccessful attempt.

Kostek, who has been dating the football star since 2015, also admitted that the kick was stressful.

“It was a lot of stress, but congrats to the Chiefs!” she said of the filming of the live commercial.

Gronkowski wasn’t the only football star absent from this year’s big game, as Tom Brady, who recently announced his retirement for the second time, joked that he didn’t know what to do with himself while watching this year’s Super Bowl from home.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in