Michael Strahan angered fans when he awkwardly interrupted his Fox Sports colleague Rob Gronkowski while the New England Patriots legend was talking about his former team.
The legendary NFL tight end was responding to the news that the Patriots had fired head coach Jerod Mayo following the team's victory over the Buffalo Bills on the final day of the regular season.
“That surprised me,” Gronkowski said to begin his rant. “That it happened so soon was a surprise to a lot of people, especially here at the desk; we were all surprised by it.” I think it was unfair to coach Jerod Mayo.
“I mean, he'd never had a chance to develop as a head coach. He himself was just a rookie in that department. If you judge a coach by his first year, that's really not appropriate.
'I mean, Jimmy Johnson, you went 1-15 in the first one and then you won a couple of Super Bowls after that. I mean, he really…
At that point, just over 30 seconds after being asked for his opinion, Strahan interrupted Gronkowski and told his broadcast colleague that they had to go on a break.
Michael Strahan awkwardly interrupted his Fox Sports colleague Rob Gronkowski during his rant.
Fans took to social media to criticize Strahan and were angry that Gronkowski was not allowed to continue.
One posted: “Strahan is a puppet.”
Another added: 'Strahan, the company man. Keep cashing checks.'
A third wrote: “Gronk was about to attack the Krafts before Fox stopped him and he snapped.”
“Gronk goes off script to tell you how he really feels, and the network definitely didn't want that.”
This isn't the first time Strahan has caused controversy while covering the NFL for Fox this season.
In November he came under fire after failing to put his hand over his heart during the national anthem at a live show from Naval Base San Diego before Veterans Day.
The former New York Giants star even lashed out when DailyMail.com asked him for comment on the subsequent situation, snatching and throwing our reporter's phone.
The Patriots fired head coach Jerod Mayo following the team's victory over the Buffalo Bills.
When Strahan finally spoke, he expressed regret over his confrontation with the reporter outside his home, noting his family ties to the military and explaining why he didn't cover his heart when the Star Spangled Banner was played.
“Everyone, I'm Michael and I want to address what happened last weekend,” he said in a video message posted to Instagram.
'I feel like I need to address it because it has spread to the point where today I get out of my car and am ambushed by a media outlet here in my house.
“I'm not proud of the way I handled that whole situation, but I think anyone can understand the things you're going to do.” “You're going to protect your family and you're going to protect your home, which I felt like I needed to do at that moment.”
Gronkowski played nine seasons for the Patriots, winning three Super Bowl titles alongside Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft blamed himself Monday for having to fire Mayo, saying he put the first-year head coach in an “untenable” situation.
Kraft met with the media a day after firing Mayo following a 4-13 season and He said Mayo wasn't ready for the job.
“This whole situation is on me,” Kraft said. 'I feel really bad for Jerod, because I put him in an untenable situation. I know he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before accepting the job.
Kraft said the board will remain and the coaching search will be led by Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith. Kraft said he and his son Jonathan will select the next head coach.
Mayo, 38, was in his first season on the job after replacing the legendary Bill Belichick after last season.