Tom Brady - NFL player - He has now earned his spot in the Hall of Fame.
For the past two years, Tom Brady (46) has been in retirement from football. However, he recently received a great honor: He was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. His former team presented him with a red jacket signifying his greatness. In addition to the jacket, the Patriots announced they will not assign his former jersey number 12 again, and a statue will be built in his honor in front of the stadium. But Brady has promised his children he won't plan another comeback.
"I am a Patriot."
The event was highly anticipated for the former prodigal son and previous guarantee of victory. In front of an audience of 60,000 fans, Brady took off his blue jacket and received the red jacket of a Hall of Famer from Patriots owner Robert Kraft (83). With a stifled voice, he thanked everyone with his now iconic line, "I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot."
Former Hall of Famers and over 100 former teammates and coaches of his impressive career were moved by his speech, especially his reunion with former Patriots coach Bill Belichick (72). Under his leadership, Brady won six Super Bowls between 2000 and 2020. The connection between the two has been compared to a father-son relationship, and Brady paid tribute with, "I thank you for always pushing me to be better. It was never you, it was never me, it was us." He added, "There's no coach I'd rather have played for."
Brady's number 12 will never be assigned again
Since Tom Brady's departure from the Patriots in 2020, the team has been withholding his famous number 12 jersey. And now, it's official: Patriots owner Kraft promised it would never be assigned again. Brady is the eighth player in the history of the Patriots to receive this prestigious honor. Kraft also announced plans to build a statue of Brady in front of the colossal Patriots stadium. The statue will be an impressive 3.5 meters tall.
"Please don't have any crazy ideas if you're walking through the locker room tonight."
After leaving the Patriots in 2020, Brady continued his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for two seasons. The first season was astounding, with the team winning the seventh Super Bowl in its first year. In the second season, they lost the winning streak. This led Brady to announce his retirement on February 1, 2022. However, he changed his mind a month later, announcing he would continue his career for another year. Finally, in 2022, he hung up his shoes for good - or did he? During Wednesday's ceremony, Brady shared a video his children had recorded for him, urging him not to consider another comeback: "Don't even think about any ridiculous ideas if you happen to sneak into the locker room tonight." It's clear: no more football for Pop!
Even singer Jon Bon Jovi (62) was in attendance to honor Brady. Bon Jovi has been friends with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Tom Brady for decades. Together with his wife Dorothea Rose Hurley (61), he walked the red-white-blue carpet in Massachusetts.
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Brady's children pleaded with him not to entertain any more football comeback ideas during the ceremony. Massachusetts native and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft promised that Brady's retired jersey number 12 would never be assigned to another player. The Patriots also announced plans to build a statue of Brady in front of Gillette Stadium, joining the ranks of other Hall of Famers from the state.
