Following his surprise retirement last week, the former Patriots tight end has revealed that his next step will be to move to Japan and see how high up the professional sumo ranks he can climb. Gronkowski, who has previously moonlighted in professional wrestling, said that the move was inspired by Tom Brady’s visit to Japan in 2017, when the Patriots quarterback visited Sakaigawa beya and trained with none other than Ozeki Goeido. He plans to use the connections Brady made during the visit to enter the sumo world.

Gronkowski, who stands 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and weighs 268 lb (122 kg), knows that while he is big for an NFL tight end, he will need to put on some weight to succeed in professional sumo. Having famously not touched any of his career NFL earnings, “Gronk” says that he is prepared for heya life and looks forward to doing the chores that are expected of low-ranked rikishi. “I’ve read John Gunning’s article (on foreigners entering sumo), and I am not taking this lightly,” he said.

You can read the full interview with Gronkowski here.

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