Rob Gronkowski never made it to the Academy Awards red carpet. The hard-partying tight end was instead replaced by Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, who interviewed all the glamorous people for “The Rich Eisen Podcast.”

Reed, sporting casual beard and devil-may-care hair, cornered George Clooney for an interview that took an emotional toll on the actor.

Clooney said to me, "Hey, Reed, you hurt me bad -- I'm a Bengals fan,' Reed told SI.com Sunday night. "I told him, 'Hey, man, they hurt themselves!' But it's awesome he's a Bengals fan. I really enjoyed talking with him."

Reed received high marks from those who care about red-carpet talking.

He certainly looked fine in a stripey tux, purple bowtie and purple and black shoes. After his interviewing duties were over, he ended up backstage with the help of a security guard who is a Ravens fan and yapped with the stars. “I also shook hands with Halle Berry,” Reed said. “I wanted to take a picture with her, but she walked out so quick. Beautiful woman, man.”

We’re betting that thrill ranks slightly below winning a Super Bowl.