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Rob Gronkowski Graces Cover Of Sports Illustrated's NFL Preview

BOSTON (CBS) -- Good news, Patriots fans: Rob Gronkowski is on the cover of a magazine. Here's some even better news: This time, he's wearing clothes!

Rob Gronkowski
Rob Gronkowski on the cover of Sports Illustrated

After appearing in ESPN's "The Body Issue" over the summer wearing nothing but his birthday suit, the Patriots' tight end was suited up in his game jersey for Sports Illustrated's NFL season preview issue.

Gronkowski appears on the national cover of the magazine, which predicts that the Patriots will win the AFC East but will ultimately lose in the AFC Championship Game to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

SI writer Chris Ballard wrote the cover story on Gronkowski for the mag, which includes tidbits from when the writer spent time with Gronkowski as he appeared at a woman's 21st birthday and was paid five figures to be there.

"People say, 'He's doing way too many things,' but [I do them] because I got nothing to do," Gronk says in the story. "That's why I hit up every charity event, why I hit up every party I'm invited to. If I'm just sitting at home, that's not productive. That's boring. I like going out, meeting new people, having a good time. I guess that's why I'm all over the papers. I don't have any girlfriends, no kids. Basically I work out two hours every single day, and then I have 12 hours to do whatever I want."

And that helps explain the free time he has to pose in magazine photo shoots, too.

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