FOXBOROUGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots, while inducting the legendary Tom Brady into their Hall of Fame on Wednesday, delivered a few surprises for the retired quarterback.
Team owner Robert Kraft revealed that the Patriots are retiring Brady’s uniform No. 12 and are commissioning a 12-foot-tall bronze Brady statue that will be installed during the 2024 season.
“(The statue) will stand alone in the plaza outside of the Hall of Fame to symbolize his position, not as the greatest in franchise history, but as the greatest in all of NFL history,” Kraft said.
The ceremony drew a crowd of 60,000 to the Patriots’ home stadium in Foxborough, Mass. on the night of an NBA Finals game featuring the Boston Celtics. The three-hour festivities included appearances by scores of Brady’s former teammates and ex-Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. It was the first time Belichick returned to Foxborough since he resigned at the end of last season.
Brady gave thanks to all, saying, “I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot.”
He added of Belichick, “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us. … Let me make this crystal clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”
Brady, playing under Belichick, spent 20 years with the Patriots, leading the team to six Super Bowl championships. He later added another title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Belichick, greeted with huge cheers from Patriots fans, said to Brady, “Thank you for all that you’ve done for us. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. And thank you for the example and model you’ve been for all of us on a daily basis for 20 years. Congratulations.”