It was quite a scene at Gillette Stadium last night as Tom Brady was honored and formally inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
No Patriot will ever wear the famous #12 ever again.
Owner Robert Kraft also announced that a 12-foot-tall statue of Brady will be unveiled during the coming season – which will be a first for the franchise. (I’m just as surprised as you that there’s no statue already built for Cam Newton.)
“Our goal was to create a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony for a one-in-a-kind player. I hope we accomplished that goal with a few firsts,” Kraft said at the ceremony.
One of the highlights of the night was the formal mending of fences between Brady and Bill Belichick.
“Thank you for your tireless commitment to develop and push me to be my very best. It wasn’t me, it wasn’t you, it was us,” Brady said to Belichick.
“Let me make this crystal clear – there is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”
Belichick had a similar message for his former quarterback.
“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 that you’ve been for all of us, on a daily basis, for 20 years … You’re unbelievable,” Belichick said.
Brady spoke in big picture terms about sacrifice and what it takes to rise above the rest and truly be all that you can be.
“To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined, and willing to work for it … No shortcuts,” Brady said.
“If you look at all my teammates here tonight, it would be impossible to find better examples of men who embody that work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination and discipline that it takes to be a champion in life.”
“Twenty years. Seventeen division titles. Six Super Bowls … How did we do it? What can we learn? And how can we apply those things going forward?” Brady continued.
“The foundation of a successful team, a family or business is asking what you can do to support the mission.
“The Patriots embodied that. Everyone was committed to winning. Everyone was selfless. Everyone was always asking, ‘What can I do to help the team win?’”
Those words might sound corny to some, but that doesn’t mean they’re not 100% true.
Another highlight of the night was when (in)famous Patriots fan Bill Burr took the stage.
The comedian stated that Brady “is and always will be” the greatest quarterback in NFL history.
He then parlayed that comment into a shot at the Kansas City Chiefs.
“You’re never going to see it again,” Burr said of the Patriots unprecedented dominance. “I don’t want to hear about that guy from the Chiefs … Andy Reid is too fat to do that.”
Ouch!
Burr also opened eyes with a comment he made about former Patriots tight end/murderer Aaron Hernandez.
When ringing off the great players that Brady played with, he would mention: “Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski…(and) that guy we can’t bring up,” in clear reference to Hernandez.
While Hernandez has always been an off-limits topic in Patriot land, the ice was broken at the recent Tom Brady Roast when there were several brutal jokes made at Hernandez’s expense.
Speaking of famous Patriots fans, Barstool founder Dave Portnoy was in attendance at the ceremony.
Portnoy has defended Brady as strong as anyone and even spent time in jail for him.
Brady made sure to give Portnoy and his buddies a special shout-out … There was only one problem: Portnoy had already left to go watch the Boston Celtics NBA Finals game at The Harp right outside of the stadium!
On a more serious note, Brady emotionally spoke about the importance of playing football and all of the priceless life lessons it teaches.
“I would encourage everyone to play football for the simple reason that it is hard,” he said.
“It’s hard when you’re young to wake up in the offseason at 6am to go train and work out, knowing all your friends are sleeping in and eating pancakes.
“It’s hard when you’re on your way to practice weighed down with all your gear and it’s 90 degrees out, while all the other kids are at the pool or at the beach. And your body is already completely exhausted from workouts and two-a-days.
“It’s hard to throw, catch, block and tackle and hit kids when they’re way bigger and way more developed than you. Only to go home that night bruised and battered and strained, but knowing you have to show up again the next day for just the chance to try again.
“But understand this … Life is hard.
“My advice is to prepare yourself. Because football lessons teach us that success and achievement come from overcoming adversity and that team accomplishment far exceeds anyone’s individual goals.”
“Am I proud of our championships? Yes,” Brady continued. “Am I proud of our winning records over the years? Yes. But what I am proudest of is the people’s lives who we impacted here and across the country.
“They might have cheered for us or against us. Some may not have liked us, but they certainly ended up respecting us.
“Sometimes when I ask myself why me? The answer is that I’m the messenger here to tell the world how amazing Patriots fans really are.”
Unsurprisingly, Brady routinely heaped praise on his teammates throughout the entire evening.
“Every stitch and every single thread of this beautiful red (Patriots Hall of Fame) jacket is woven together by the experiences and adversities we endured,” he said. “Every single one of you made my life better.
“If you thought you learned a lot from me, the reality was I learned way more from you. We fought together, we bled together, we cried together, we celebrated and won together. And I would go to battle with any one of you guys because I know what you’re all about.”
Brady ended on an emotional climax as he began to tear up…
“You humble me. You make me proud. And I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot.”
What are your thoughts on the ceremony?
Love him or hate him, if you have even half a heart, you have to admit that was a pretty damn good speech.
Speaking of which, what is the single-greatest sports speech of all-time?
As for Brady’s greatness, do you think there will ever be another player who tops him???