Rob Gronkowski Reveals His Cheeky Super Bowl Ad for Prostate Cancer Screening: EXCLUSIVE

Super Bowl champions Bruce Arians and Rob Gronkowski star in a cheeky Super Bowl ad from Novartis designed to encourage men to get screened for prostate cancer with an easy blood test.

Arians and Gronkowski appeared on TODAY Jan. 29 as paid spokespeople for the Novartis campaign to exclusively reveal the ad ahead of the Feb. 8 game.

The ad stars current NFL tight ends George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers) and Colby Parkinson (Los Angeles Rams) joining well-known retired tight ends Gronkowski (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers), Tony Gonzalez (Atlanta Falcons), Delanie Walker (Tennessee Titans) and Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers). The group of players relaxes with yoga, in a pool, painting and more while Enya’s “Only Time” plays underneath.

“You know what these tight ends are so relaxed about?” Arians says as he appears onscreen. “Prostate cancer screenings. They’ve learned there’s a simple, finger-free blood test.”

Arians, 73, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory in Super Bowl 55 with Gronkowski at tight end, reminds viewers that roughly one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, noting he is among that number. He had surgery for prostate cancer in 2007.

“I’m here today because I caught it early,” he continues.

Gronkowski, who won three other Super Bowls as a member of the New England Patriots, meanwhile, can be seen calmly brushing a horse.

“Gronk, what’d I teach you?” Arians asks.

“Relax your tight end,” Gronkowski replies before we see a shot of several posteriors loosening up as the clip comes to a (rear) end. “Prostate screenings starts with a simple blood test.”

Several medical groups recommend most men talk to their doctors about prostate screening beginning at age 45, although it could be 40 for those in high risk groups. Despite that, roughly 40.3 million men who are age-eligible have never had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, according to a news release from Novartis.

Arians told TODAY he’s “doing fantastic” and gets his PSA checked annually. Still, he believes that more men need to get checked.

“I think the stereotype of the finger test scares too many guys off,” he said. “But when you look at early detection and saving lives, it’s the best way to do it because this is a disease that’s killing too many men that shouldn’t be killing them.”

Craig Melvin noted that Al Roker is a prostate cancer survivor as are some of his own relatives, before Gronkowski reiterated the importance of screening.

“Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men in the U.S., and men fear to get screened because of the finger tests,” he said.

“And we’re here to raise awareness that it’s just as simple as a blood test with Novartis here to get screened and see if you have prostate cancer or if it’s developing,” he added. “And you want to catch it early, as well, because if you catch it early, that’s when it’s most treatable.”

For more screening information, the campaign encourages viewers to visit RelaxItsABloodTest.com.