The New England Patriots have inducted Tom Brady into the franchise’s own Hall of Fame two years after his retirement and four years after his departure.

There have been few sports-related holidays at Gillette Stadium in the last two years.

However, one man who hasn’t even been there for over four years provided a real holiday: Tom Brady. The quarterback, who won six Super Bowls with the Patriots between 2000 and 2020, was officially inducted into the record-breaking champion’s Hall of Fame.

“I’m incredibly grateful. My name is Tom Brady. And I’m a Patriot,” announced the 46-year-old, who will be a TV pundit at NFL games in the coming season, in a broken voice and to huge cheers.

“We wanted to have a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony for a once-in-a-lifetime player,” said owner Robert Kraft. “I hope we were able to do that. “

In attendance were more than 100 of Brady’s former teammates and coaches, including his former head coach Bill Belichick. “Thank you for always working tirelessly to make sure I played at my limit. It wasn’t you, it wasn’t me, it was us,” he said. “Theres no coach I would rather have played for.” There was a warm embrace between the two on stage.

His predecessor Drew Bledsoe was also in attendance and was in a joking mood: “Tom, you were the worst backup quarterback in NFL history,” he said, making those present laugh.

Statue for Brady, jersey number 12 will no longer be issued

Kraft announced during the ceremony that a statue of Brady will be erected in front of the Patriots’ home stadium. This is to be around three and a half meters tall or, appropriately, twelve feet.

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– New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 13, 2024

In addition, the jersey number 12 should no longer be officially assigned. The Patriots have avoided issuing the former Brady number since 2020, but now it is officially prohibited.

Brady is the eighth Patriots player to have his number retired and the first to be active this millennium