New England Patriots legend Tom Brady was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame Wednesday in what was an emotional ceremony.
Brady played with the Patriots for 20 seasons prior to leaving for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2019 campaign. His career in New England will go down as one of the greatest in professional sports history. After all, Tom Terrific led New England to six Super Bowl titles after it made him a mere sixth-round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick returned to Gillette Stadium for the first time since the two parted ways earlier in the offseason. Franchise legends such as Randy Moss and Julian Edelman were also on hand.
Owner Robert Kraft announced that Brady’s No. 12 jersey will be retired. No member of the Patriots from this point on will wear it.
Kraft also announced that the Patriots plan on erecting a 12-foot statue that will sit outside of the team’s Hall of Fame.
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“Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft broke news before putting Brady’s red jacket on him for the first time. Kraft announced that the No. 12 is now officially retired, never to be worn again. The Patriots will also unveil a 12-foot-tall statue that will stand in the plaza outside the team’s Hall of Fame and Pro Shop. The statue will be unveiled during the 2024 season, possibly foreshadowing another Brady return to Foxboro. The statue will be the first of its kind for a former Patriot, as was the in-stadium retirement ceremony.”
New England Patriots website on Tom Brady statue
If anyone is deserving of this honor, it’s obviously Brady. What he did to help build the Patriots into a dynasty can’t go unacknowledged.
Of course, there was some drama toward the latter part of Brady’s tenure in New England. But it appears that all sides have put it past them. Seeing Belichick on hand adds another layer to this.