FOXBOROUGH — On a night the Celtics were playing in the NBA Finals, Boston sports fans still packed Gillette Stadium to the brim to celebrate Tom Brady’s induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Brady didn’t just receive a red jacket from Robert Kraft — he’s also getting his statue and No. 12 retired — and there was plenty to glean in an eventful three-hour ceremony. From Brady’s new honors to some surprise guests, here are 10 takeaways from the legendary quarterback’s call to the Patriots Hall of Fame:
1. No. 12 officially retired
Brady will be the last New England Patriot to ever wear No. 12.
In addition to inducting Brady into the team’s Hall of Fame, Robert Kraft officially retired his uniform number. Brady is the eighth Patriot to have his number taken out of circulation, but the first since tackle Bruce Armstrong in 2001. In concluding his speech, it was clear how grateful Brady is to have 20 years in New England as his lasting legacy.
“I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot,” Brady said.
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2. Brady is getting a statue, too
Kraft also announced that Brady will be getting a 12-foot bronze statue that will be unveiled during the upcoming 2024 season. It will be in the plaza in front of Gillette Stadium, right by the Patriots Hall of Fame itself.
“(It’s) the first Patriots statue ever commissioned,” Kraft said.
3. Belichick toasts Tom
For the first time since parting ways with the Patriots in January, Bill Belichick returned to Gillette Stadium to thunderous applause. The long-time coach then offered a vintage Belichick speech.
He lauded Brady’s ability to avoid bad plays at length, stressing how important it is while noting that particular skill often flies under the radar. Belichick then said the lone bad play he ever saw Brady make was golfing at Pebble Beach, when he scaled a cliff in a Pro-Am to get an errant ball rather than just playing his teammate’s. Belichick later said that his one-on-one meetings with Brady “were some of the very best times in (his) coaching career” because of how much he learned from the quarterback.
“Thank you for all you’ve done for us. Thank you for all you’ve done for me,” Belichick concluded. “And thank you for the example and model you’ve been for all of us. You’re unbelievable. Congratulations.”
4. Brady returns the favor
During Brady’s speech to end the evening, he thanked Belichick for his commitment to pushing him to be his very best and tried to end the “Tom vs. Bill” debate for good.
“It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us,” Brady said. “Let me make this crystal clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”
5. New twist on an old intro
For years, Brady sprinted onto the field to Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement.” On Wednesday night, he took the stage to it live for the first time. Jay-Z was in attendance and the hip hop mogul performed Brady’s signature song as the quarterback entered through the tunnel in a suit and tie. As the night rolled on, Kenny Chesney also played “Boys of Fall.”
6. Patriots fans have long memories
At one point, there was a video montage of NFL greats congratulating Brady. Patrick Mahomes, Eli Manning and Ray Lewis were all booed robustly by the capacity crowd at Gillette Stadium. The tribute ended with Snow Bowl foe Charles Woodson saying, “I almost forgot… it was a damn fumble!”
7. But they’re willing to grow
The first real surprise guest of the evening appeared after that video montage, and it was Brady’s long-time rival, Peyton Manning. For the first time in his life, the Colts and Broncos quarterback received a standing ovation in Foxborough, and then sat on a panel praising Brady’s greatness.
“They like me here because I always lost here,” Manning cracked.
8. Manning peels back the curtain
Brady’s nemesis on the field relayed a particularly amusing story from the 2009 offseason, too. Apparently, Manning and Brady decided to train together covertly for a few days in a small town in Tennessee.
“We played golf together, we lifted weights together, we threw routes together with these high school receivers and we took their phones away,” Manning said. “We said, ‘If you tell anybody that Tom Brady and I are working out together and that we’re friends, then we’re going to kill all of you.’”
9. Bledsoe nails another one liner
After starring in “The Roast of Tom Brady” on Netflix, Drew Bledsoe had one more one-liner for the quarterback who took his job.
“Of all the great things about Tom — great teammate, greatest quarterback of all time — you were the worst backup quarterback in the history of the NFL,” Bledsoe said to Brady. “You never understood that when I got healthy, you’re supposed to go sit the hell down.”
10. Randy gets his moment
During one of the panels, Randy Moss began to speak for the first time, and got an absolutely booming ovation from the crowd that lasted for a full minute. As the fans kept cheering and chanting his name, Moss got emotional and began crying on stage. It was one of the most genuine moments of the evening.
“I thank y’all,” Moss said. “I apologize because this is really not my night, it’s 12′s night, but I thank you.”
