Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) looks on Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
By Sean Keeley on

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Rob Gronkowski had a devil of a time trying to pronounce the name of Tampa Bay Buccaneers star receiver Emeka Egbuka.

So, he went to the source to find out how to do it properly.

Breaking down the NFL Week 5 slate for Fox’s The OT last weekend, Gronkowski was attempting to praise the rookie receiver. In doing so, unfortunately, he ended up completely butchering his name.

“You gotta give credit to this rookie sensation, wide receiver out of Ohio State, Emeka Egbigboo, going for over 100 yards,” he said as his fellow Fox NFL analysts started laughing. “Emeka Egbuka, I’m getting confused.”

Considering Egbuka appears to be a player worth discussing, Gronk decided to speak directly with the rookie to determine the correct pronunciation moving forward.

“I’ve heard a lot worse over my years playing football,” the Ohio State product told Gronk during a recent podcast appearance together. “I don’t even think I could recreate [the worst pronunciation]. None of the right syllables. None of the right consonants. Just completely made up the entire last name.”

As for how to pronounce his name correctly, Egbuka noted that the “G” in his last name is silent, and his first name is pronounced “a-boo-ka.”

Gronk revealed that part of the reason he got slipped up was because he played alongside someone named Chi-Chi Ebigbo, whose last name sounds a lot like what he had said the previous weekend. He also said that while he apologized, he couldn’t promise that he wouldn’t screw up Egbuka’s last name again at some point.

“It’s all good. I’ll just make some more plays and then just have you keep saying it,” Egbuka said.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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