Rob Gronkowski says he was college friends with Yankees fan who grabbed Mookie Betts’ glove

On By Littum

The sports world is still buzzing about Yankees fans who tried to pull off Mookie Betts’ glove in Game 4 of the World Series, and it turns out there’s an unusual connection. In a classic pairing of like-meets-like, one of the disruptive Yankees fans is apparently college friends with none other than former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski.

On an episode of “Up & Adams” with Kay Adams on Wednesday, Gronkowski said he knew one of the fans from his time at the University of Arizona. Gronkowski spent three years as a Wildcat before entering the 2010 NFL Draft.

“This is actually the first time I’ve seen this live, and here’s a little fun fact: That guy right there that grabbed Mookie Betts’ glove was my friend in college,” Gronkowski said as he watched the clip of Adams’ show. .

Gronkowski confirmed in a post on social media that his college friend is a fan of the gray jersey, Austin Capobianco. Along with John Peter, the two fans were ejected from Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night and banned from Game 5 in New York on Wednesday.

Per Gronkowski, Capobianco was a member of Arizona’s club hockey team, which Gronkowski described as a group of “lunatics.” He also described him as a devoted sports fan.

“He’s all in for his teams. He’s all in for the Yankees,” Gronkowski said, adding that he remembered Capobianco talking about the Yankees “all the time.”

At first, the Pro Bowl tight end didn’t admonish Capobianco’s wild decision, but praised him.

“He’s a beauty. I just want to say congratulations on shining when your moment came,” Gronkowski said to Adams’ astonishment.

But then Gronkowski took a more serious stance on Capobianco’s behavior, which he admitted he hadn’t seen in years.

“It’s obviously unacceptable in the world of sports, but when you’re that big of a fan, it’s what fans do, I mean, when they have the opportunity to do it,” Gronkowski said.

Later, in a social media post, Gronkowski echoed his memory of Capobianco as an unusually passionate and loyal fan.

“Also a menacing, wild kid, he’s the person who would undoubtedly say he’d do it and then actually do it. Madman status since college has been confirmed,” Gronkowski wrote.

Capobianco and Peter were reportedly informed Wednesday by the Yankees that they would be arrested if they tried to enter the stadium for Game 5. They do not know how long the ban will last.