FOXBORO — Sunday was Tom Brady day at Gillette Stadium. It won’t be the only one, as team owner Robert Kraft announced that Brady will be back in the summer to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame at the stadium.
A little rain couldn’t stop the Brady celebration at Gillette. The Patriots honored the man who helped bring six Super Bowl titles to New England at halftime of their Week 1 clash with the Eagles and announced he will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame next June.
There is usually a four-year waiting period for players to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. But Tom Brady is no ordinary player, so Kraft decided to make a special exception.
Brady will now become the 35th inductee of the Patriots Hall of Fame and his induction looks set to be quite the event. Therefore, Kraft also announced that the ceremony will take place on June 12, 2024 at Gillette Stadium. It will be the first time an induction ceremony for the Patriots Hall of Fame will be held at the stadium.
This is a ticketed event, with season ticket holders having priority. More details will follow later this year.
Brady took the field for the ceremony, as he did most Sundays for the Patriots, and raced out of the tunnel at full speed. And as he has throughout his Hall of Fame career, Brady used his midfield speech to thank his former teammates and New England fans.
“What a day,” Brady said as he addressed the crowd. “The runout was a little longer than before. I’m not quite in playing shape. But it’s impossible for me to be in this stadium, with you incredible fans, teammates, family and friends, and not walk out like that.’ I did that for 20 years.
“This is an incredible celebration for me, for my family, for my teammates, for all of us, to come back and thank you for what you’ve done for us. I was very fortunate to be moved here two decades ago.” he continued. “I didn’t even know where New England was – not that we put New England on the map. But I think a lot more people know where the New England Patriots play.”
“We have weathered whatever came up – a lot of adversity – and that has strengthened us,” Brady said. “As a team, we represented you every time we stepped onto the pitch. It is one of my core beliefs that there is nothing significant in life that can be achieved as an individual. It’s always about the team. We built a culture of teammates.” It was about two things: they cared about each other and they cared about winning. If you didn’t care about those two things, you didn’t last long here. And we were very happy to play against you.
“We showed America what teamwork is all about. By believing in each other, believing in and playing for this community, and believing in and playing for a shared mission, we were able to hand out six of these banners and celebrate what teamwork is all about,” Brady said.
“One thing will never change: I’m a patriot for life,” Brady concluded to a rousing ovation. “Thank you for an incredible day. Thank you to my teammates, my family, my friends, my second family and all of you for making it another day in this stadium that I will never forget. I love you guys so much.” and see you again next summer.
New England fans never really got the chance to say a proper goodbye to Brady after he left the Patriots in 2020 after an incredible 20 seasons with the team. Brady returned to Gillette Stadium in 2021 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and received ovations throughout, but on Sunday, Brady and Patriots fans were able to cheer on Brady – as a Patriot – once again.
And there will be a few more to come in the near future. While his Hall of Fame induction was announced on Sunday, we have to imagine that a No. 12 will soon be retired and a Tom Brady statue will be erected somewhere at Patriot Place.
Brady had over 20 friends and family in attendance, including a large number of former New England teammates. Brady also visited six other friends he met from his time in New England:
Brady was also the first “Keeper of the Light,” ringing the bell on the new lighthouse in Gillette’s north end zone before the game.
If you missed Sunday’s Tom Brady ceremony, be sure to watch it in full after the Patriots-Eagles game on Sunday’s Patriots 5th Quarter on TV38!
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