FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In a tradition unlike any other, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski shaved his head at the One Mission Buzz Off for Kids with Cancer.
Gronkowski went into Sunday's event at Gillette Stadium with a full head of hair, and left completely shaven as he joined hundreds of others to honor and support kids fighting cancer.
"Feeling good," Gronkowski said. "I got a new haircut, grew it out for like two months. It turned super blonde the last two months, too. The blondest it's ever been. It was looking smooth, but I always love cutting it off, always love buzzing it off."
Gronkowski said the event, in its ninth year, is always a special one, and it has become a staple in his yearly routine.
"It's always important," Gronkowski said. "To see what these kids are going through, what they're battling through. Just to be the guy leading by example out here to the kids, to show to come out to support the kids and what they're going through, it's just an unbelievable cause.
The Patriots tight end didn't have to complain about the price, either.
"It's a free haircut, too," Gronkowski said. "It's just awesome. It's so awesome to see all these kids, with what they're going through, to see a smile on their face, to see their friends, see their families. It's just a good atmosphere."
>>RELATED: Kobe Bryant visits Patriots practice; Brady, Gronk not there
Proceeds from the Buzz Off event help to fund One Mission programs at Boston Children's Hospital, The Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Tomorrow Fund Clinic at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.