Rob Gronkowski explains why he'll always hate the Indianapolis Colts

Sports fans tend to have a team to root for, whether it was because they grew up cheering for them alongside their parents or because their favorite player was donning their uniform. As is the case, there is always a team that a fan despises, whether it be that they are a division rival or if they were responsible for a crushing defeat in the playoffs.

The same can be said for professional sports stars. There is always one team that a player just does not like and uses that energy to really play motivated in their future matchups.

During his latest appearance on FanDuel TV's Up and Adams with host Kay Adams, former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski revealed his utter disdain for one team in particular during his playing career -- the Indianapolis Colts.

"The Colts, let me tell you, I don't like the Colts," said Gronkowski. "I was just on Julian's [Edelman] podcast Games with Names, actually, and we just absolutely dismantled the Colts, we've ripped them apart. They were hanging banners for winning a division. They were always a little cocky, always talked garbage when they played us. We just romped them week in and week out every time we played them, especially in the playoffs.

"I don't like the Colts. I always loved running up the score versus them. We dominated them in the pass game and in the run game as well. We were dominating them so bad they came up with the deflategate BS because they needed an excuse why we were absolutely terrorizing them."

Rob Gronkowski reveals why he will always hate the Colts

As you can tell, Gronkowski really doesn't like the Colts. That makes sense, considering the Patriots and Colts went through many important battles in this century, notably highlighted by the quarterback duels between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

But there was one instance that Gronkowski brings up that occurred after Manning departed from Indianapolis, and that's deflategate. In the 2014 AFC Championship Game, the Patriots defeated the Colts in a 45-7 blowout to advance to Super Bowl 49. But in that game, the Patriots were alleged to have used under-inflated footballs. The NFL launched an investigation that ultimately resulted in Brady being suspended for four games in the 2016 season (after an appeal) and the Patriots being fined $1 million and forced to surrender their 2016 first-round pick and their 2017 fourth-round pick.

The Patriots and Colts faced off midway through the 2015 season, with New England picking up the 34-27 victory. Gronkowski would play one more game against the Colts as a member of the Patriots in 2018 in a 38-24 win.

In his career, Gronkowski is a perfect 7-0 in seven games against the Colts. In those appearances, Gronkowski caught 33-of-40 targets for 545 yards and six touchdowns.

The stats don't lie. Gronkowski thrived against the Colts throughout his career. His disdain for the AFC South team may have played a role in it, as he expressed how much joy he took in helping the Patriots or Tampa Bay Buccaneers run up the score against them in his career.