New England Honors Tom Brady: ‘Patriot For Life’
FOXBORO — New England Patriots owner and CEO Robert Kraft welcomed legendary quarterback Tom Brady back to Gillette Stadium in a “special” way.
In addition to trailing the Philadelphia Eagles 16-14 at the half of their Week 1 matchup on Sunday, the Patriots organization honored Brady with both pregame and halftime ceremonies — commemorating the 20 successful seasons Brady spent wearing Patriot blue.
After acting as the inaugural lighthouse keeper for the newly-minted Gillette Stadium lighthouse, Brady began the halftime festivities by running out of the Pats home team tunnel, wearing his familiar No. 12 jersey.
Moments later, team owner Robert Kraft took the podium to herald the “greatest Patriot of them all,” while announcing that the team would be holding a Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Brady on June 12, 2024 within the confines of Gillette Stadium. Brady’s induction will be the first in team history to waive the customary four-year waiting period.
Brady himself took the podium to thank Kraft, his coaches, his teammates, but mostly his friends and family — which he holds in the highest regard.
"One thing I'm sure of, and that will never change, is that I am a Patriot for life," Brady said to a raucous ovation from the sellout crowd at Gillette Stadium.
Unsurprisingly, the crowd responded by chanting: "Brady! Brady! Brady!"
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Brady entered the NFL as the 199th overall selection by the Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft. The Michigan product ascended to the starting position in his second year with the team, in the aftermath of a devastating injury to then-starter Drew Bledsoe. In his first year as a starter, Brady led the Patriots to their first ever championship. He would go on to win five additional titles in New England, with his last coming as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Brady’s place among the top of the pantheon of NFL greats has been firmly established. As such, he finishes his illustrious career with regular season totals of 12,050 pass attempts for 7,753 completions (64.3 percent), 89,214 passing yards, 649 touchdowns and 212 interceptions. Brady also dominated the postseason, where he has compiled a record of 35-13, as well as a quarterback rating of 89.8. He completed 62.5 percent of his postseason passes for 13,400 yards, 88 passing touchdowns and 40 interceptions. Brady won seven of the ten Super Bowls in which he played, earning the big game’s MVP five times.
Despite being engulfed by a sea of envy in most of the country, he is still largely adored in New England; firmly entrenched among the immortal beloveds of New England sports. In fact, he might be the most admired sports figure in the history of a city that has been the home to such icons as Ted Williams, Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, and Bill Russell.
Visions of game-winning drives, improbable comebacks and championship parades are forever a part of the region’s generational memory bank. Prior to his taking the reins as the Patriots starting quarterback in 2001, New England knew little but defeat. Since that time, they have enjoyed unparalleled success.
Though he may have temporarily taken his talents to Tampa Bay, Tom Brady will forever be a Patriot in the eyes of many.
That love was clearly evident in the muggy, misty air in Foxboro on Sunday afternoon.
