6 notable moments from Tom Brady’s Patriots HOF induction

6 notable moments from Tom Brady’s Patriots HOF induction

While many of the region watched the Celtics face the Mavericks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Patriots held an unparalleled celebration at Gillette Stadium in honor of the franchise’s best player ever.

Tom Brady was honored with a party in front of thousands of supporters, with the festivities aired live on Patriots.com. There were mega-star musical acts. There was a surprise guest. Brady and his teammates had some emotional moments. There was also a very nice greeting for a recently retired head coach.

Here are six of the most memorable moments from Brady’s momentous night, which included his official induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame…

The festivities began on Wednesday night with a live performance by Jay-Z of Brady’s favorite pre-game tune. Brady, dressed in a suit and walked past the corner where he was constantly fist-pumping and screaming, clearly appreciated the gesture, dancing to his position as the guest of honor right in front of the music stage.

A fitting start to a night propelled forward by a variety of stars. Later in the night, Kenny Chesney sang his song “The Boys of Fall,” and comedian Bill Burr (a huge Patriots fan) did two separate sets.

Brady family reflection

It’s difficult to come up with anything new about Brady’s past. He has undoubtedly been the most extensively covered athlete in the history of professional sports. However, the Patriots’ in-house crew created an emotional video including Brady’s parents (Tom Sr. and Galynn) and three sisters (Maureen, Nancy, and Julie).

It was lighthearted at times, with his sisters recalling times when he was bullied by other youngsters in their Northern California neighborhood long before he became the greatest quarterback of all time.

However, the performance also served as the framework for one of the night’s more heartbreaking themes, as Brady’s parents recounted his first trip to the Pro Bowl, just after winning his first Super Bowl. It was then that he realized he couldn’t do what he had previously done with them. With his sudden fame, he was drawn in a variety of directions, and his time was restricted.

Looking back, his parents experienced a bittersweet moment. Brady repaid the feeling later that night, when he delivered his Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

He clearly values the hundreds of relationships he’s built in Foxboro and elsewhere over his football career. Many of the people with whom he had formed those bonds were staring back at him when he appeared on the dais late Wednesday night.

And when he did, he admitted that, as with his family in Hawaii in early 2002, he hasn’t been able to devote as much time to them as he would like.

“I wish I had more time,” he murmured in tears at the conclusion of the night. “I wish I had more time to give you all.”

Surprise… Sheriff in town

Peyton Manning, Brady’s greatest nemesis, was the night’s biggest surprise guest. “Are you [expletive] kidding me?” Brady inquired after the two embraced to loud cheers.

Manning remarked that he was always greeted cordially by Patriots supporters because he struggled to win in Foxborough. His recollections of watching Brady with the ball in his hands at the end of games were amusing, as he imagined himself pleading to God to let the Patriots lose because Brady had already won enough.

Perhaps the funniest anecdote Manning shared was about the 2009 offseason, when the two quarterbacks got together to swap some trade secrets and work out. Throwing to high school students in Tennessee, they made it clear that they wanted their rendezvous to be secret.

Manning stated to them: “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.'”

Moss brought to tears

Randy Moss appeared on stage with some of Brady’s top pass catchers from the past, in what was possibly one of the most unexpectedly emotional moments of the night. As he began to speak about Brady, the Gillette Stadium crowd exploded into a long standing ovation, with Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, and Julian Edelman nearby.

Moss was close to tears before gathering himself to discuss what he remembered saying shortly after arriving at Foxboro.

“Put my locker beside Tom Brady’s,” Moss replied, “and the rest will take care of itself.”

Belichick’s warm welcome

Near the end of the night, Troy Brown and Deion Branch took the microphone and announced, “Please welcome the greatest head coach of all time: Bill Belichick!”

The Gillette Stadium crowd gave Belichick a standing ovation for approximately two minutes. After a brief break as Belichick began to speak, the crowd regained momentum and cheered him for another 30 seconds or so.

“Thanks so much,” Belichick remarked. “That’s a very warm welcome. I can’t express how much it means to me to return here and witness the wonderful Patriot fans. “Thank you.”

Belichick’s address was full of highlights, including a lengthy praise for Brady’s ability to reduce poor plays. When he heard some mild applause — it’s arguably more difficult to get the fans excited about mistake-free football than great highlights — Belichick perked up and said, “Yeah! Hell yeah!”

However, Belichick’s reaction to losing his job, as well as what many consider to be a bad portrayal in the recently released “The Dynasty” docuseries, was one of the night’s most poignant moments.

ā€œItā€¦isā€¦hardā€

Some of the biggest cheers of the night came as a result of a pair of Robert Kraft announcements.

ā€œI promise tonight, it will never be worn again,” Kraft said. “The number 12 is officially retired.ā€

Kraft also announced that a 12-foot-tall statue of Brady would be installed at Patriot Place’s plaza during the 2024 season.

Brady appeared to be in tears as the fans yelled his name.

When it came time for Brady to speak, he wanted to make it clear that, despite his image and No. 12 being plastered all over the stadium, the night was about the people who helped him achieve the success for which he was being recognized: family, friends, ownership, teammates, coaches, front-office personnel, and support staff.

He also went out of his way to appreciate the game of football itself, and to make notice of why he hopes it is a game that young people

“I encourage everyone to play football for the simple reason that it is hard,” Brady said. “It’s hard when you’re young to wake up in the offseason at 6 a.m. to go train and workout, knowing that 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, and 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 bruisedĀ and battered and strained, but knowing that you have to show up again the next day for just the chance to try again.

“But understand this: life is hard. No matter who you are, there are bumps and hits and bruises along the way. My advice is to prepare yourself. Football lessons teach us that success and achievement come from overcoming adversity, and that team accomplishment far exceeds anyone’s individual goals.”

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