Tom Brady, age 46, is widely known as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and one of the best players ever to put on a football jersey. On September 10, Brady made his return to Gillette Stadium for week one of the National Football League (NFL) season in a match-up between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brady spent 20 years with the Patriots franchise, during which he won six Super Bowls and claimed 17 division titles. Brady then took his talents to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he spent the last three years of his career, claiming one last Super Bowl victory before retiring from the NFL.
The New England Patriots honored Tom Brady and his triumphous career in an emotional halftime ceremony during a game against the Eagles.
Brady stormed the field and recreated his iconic pre-game run. The Gilette crowd roared as Brady fist-pumped the air and screamed, “Let’s f–cking go!”
Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, started off the ceremony by speaking on Brady and how much he meant to the franchise, “When Tom Brady announced his retirement after 23 NFL seasons, there was only one place I wanted him to be on opening day – right here at Gillette Stadium with 65,000 fans.”
When Tom Brady announced his retirement after 23 NFL seasons, there was only one place I wanted him to be on opening day – right here at Gillette Stadium with 65,000 fans.
— Robert Kraft, New England Patriots owner
Kraft then announced that he would be waiving the four-year waiting period and inducting Brady into the Patriots Hall of Fame early on June 12, 2024. The sixth month of the year represents Brady’s six victorious Super Bowls with the franchise. The number twelve represents Brady’s jersey number he wore throughout his career with the Patriots.
Brady then took the stage and spoke to the fans in attendance, “I was so fortunate to be drafted here two decades ago – 23 years to be exact – not even knowing where New England was on the map and not that we put it on the map, but I think a lot more people in the US know where the New England Patriots play,” Brady said. He then spoke on his journey in the NFL and declared that he is a “Patriot for Life.”
Unfortunately, the Patriots ended up falling to the Eagles 25-20 in a neck-and-neck battle in the fourth quarter, but that didn’t take away from the iconic memorial Patriots had held for their epochal leader.
