NFL legend Rob Gronkowski forgot he invested $69,000 in Apple and 10 years later it was worth a fortune

Rob Gronkowski, it's fair to say, does not have a reputation for being the most sharp-minded personality in the NFL world.

The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end often plays up to his slow-witted characterisation.

And it didn't hold "Gronk" back at all during his time on the gridiron. Regarded as one of the best players of all time in his position, the New York native won three Super Bowls alongside Tom Brady with the New England Patriots before retiring in 2019 at just 29 years old.

He then came out of retirement in 2020 to team up with TB12 one more time to win another championship, this time helping Tampa Bay overcome Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LV.

Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady celebrate winning the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Getty)

And Gronkowski's perception as being far from the brightest thinker in American sports didn't prevent the now-retired NFL star from making an impressively savvy investment early in his career, too.

In 2014 Gronkowski was encouraged to invest in Apple stock by a contractor working on his home in Foxborough, Massachusetts. "Get Apple, get Apple," the tradesman reportedly implored the football star every time they spoke.

Gronkowski eventually took the contractor's advice, investing $69,000 in the tech company's stock. Then he forgot about it.

Ten years later, the Patriots legend remembered his investment and was pleasantly surprised by how it had performed over the years. His initial $69,000 outlay was now worth over $600,000, earning Gronk a near ten-fold increase without the former tight end having to do a thing.

Gronkowski's Apple stock represented a tidy return, but it paled in comparison to his NFL earnings.

The 6ft 6ins pass catcher has a reported net worth of around $45 million and recorded earnings in excess of $72 million across the entirety of his football career.

He has also inked sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Dunkin Donuts and T-Mobile. In 2015, Gronkowski claimed he had not spent any of the money from his NFL contracts and instead lives of his endorsement earnings.