An interesting new detail has popped up in the viral story about the New York Yankees fan who forcibly ripped the ball out of Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts’s glove in Game 4 of the World Series.
Rob Gronkowski joined the Up & Adams Show to discuss his thoughts on Tuesday night’s Yankees-Dodgers game, and he claimed he personally knew the fan and was friends with him back in college.
Gronkowski, who played football for two seasons at the University of Arizona before being drafted by the New England Patriots, said the fan, Austin Capobianco, was actually on the Wildcats’ ice hockey team.
“Here’s a little fun fact: That guy right there grabbing Mookie Betts’ glove was my friend in college,” Gronkowski said. “He was on the ice hockey team, and let me tell you, the whole hockey team, they were absolute maniacs… Him doing that represents him very well. He is all in for his teams, he is all in for the Yankees, I remember him talking about the Yankees all the time, how he loves them so much. And that describes him perfectly, just doing whatever it takes to help his team out.”
Gronkowski then congratulated Capobianco for taking advantage of his “moment.”
“He’s a beauty,” Gronkowski continued. “I just wanna say congratulations for shining when your moment came.”
OF COURSE Gronk was college friends with the #Yankees fan who interfered with Mookie Betts glove last night 😭🔊
“He’s a beauty. I just wanna say congratulations for SHINING when your moment came.”@RobGronkowski @heykayadams @Yankees pic.twitter.com/dqRPpI1job
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 30, 2024
The ex-Patriots tight end made sure to clarify that he didn’t condone the fan’s behavior and called the moment “unacceptable in the world of sports.”
Capobianco and his friend were swiftly ejected after trying to pry the ball out of Betts’s glove in the first inning of Game 4, in which the Yankees went on to win 11-4.
The league is reportedly asking the Yankees to ban both fans for Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night.
