FOXBOROUGH | There are these moments that transcend sport and any form of partisanship. Tom Brady’s induction night into the Patriots Hall of Fame in a packed Gillette Stadium is definitely one of them, regardless of allegiances. It was a privilege to be there to cover this moment of immortalization of a legend and here are 10 moments that marked the festivities.
• Read also: Wave of Quebec love for Tom Brady
• Read also: “Brady, Brady, Brady!”: Tom Brady becomes an immortal in Boston
1. An epic speech
Photo credit: AFP
You may love Tom Brady. You can hate Tom Brady. However, you have to be particularly stubborn not to respect the player and the man. The approximately 60,000 fans present in the Patriots’ den in Foxborough waited nearly three hours to hear their hero’s speech, but it was quite a wait. Both in his thanks and in his vocabulary, Brady demonstrated eloquence and if he ran for mayor or president he would accumulate the votes.
The perfect explanation of why Football is so special from the GOAT himself🙏 pic.twitter.com/DKtlxZyLrM
— Danny Haddad Jr (@coachhaddadjr) June 13, 2024
2. Healed wounds
Photo credit: AFP
The end of the Brady-Belichick reign in New England clearly did not go smoothly and a divorce became inevitable in 2020. A few years later, a beautiful mutual respect once again colors the relationship. To all the denigrators who absolutely want to give credit for the Patriots’ six Super Bowls to Brady or Belichick without saluting the other, the ex-quarterback had the perfect response by addressing his former pilot. “The Patriots’ success wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us,” he summed up.
Thank you, @TomBrady. pic.twitter.com/xy3k2SCdHZ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 13, 2024
3. An eighth withdrawal
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Patriots owner Robert Kraft confirmed what everyone suspected, that Tom Brady’s number 12 was officially retired. Brady therefore becomes the eighth player from the franchise to inherit this privilege, after Gino Cappelletti (20), Mike Haynes (40), Steve Nelson (57), John Hannah (73), Bruce Armstrong (78), Jim Hunt (79). ) and Bob Dee (89).
Robert Kraft announces the retirement of @TomBrady‘s number 12. pic.twitter.com/9T66HB0kTc
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 13, 2024
4. Randy Moss moved
Photo credit: Getty Images via AFP
During his career, receiver Randy Moss was noted as much for his incredible talent as for his escapades. At the start of his tribute to Tom Brady, the crowd applauded loudly as he stood up, which immediately brought Moss to tears. “When I got here in 2007, the Patriots asked me what I wanted. I said the only thing I needed was the locker next to number 12. The rest would take care of itself,” he recalled.
All love for @RandyMoss 🥹 pic.twitter.com/8XTi1YYTnW
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 13, 2024
5. Drew Bledsoe adored
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Tom Brady remains the favorite quarterback of the place, but you have to see how much the Patriots faithful admire his predecessor Drew Bledsoe. The latter was the team’s first choice in 1993 and was enjoying success before an injury forced him off the field in favor of Brady. “You were so curious and you were in my ear all the time as a rookie. How boring you could be! Your curiosity allowed you to compensate for your obvious physical shortcomings,” he joked before saluting Brady by telling him that “the only thing greater than your accomplishments is the person you are.”
HILARIOUS: Drew Bledsoe says Tom Brady was the worst backup in the history of the #NFL
“You never learned when I got healthy that you were supposed to go sit back down”
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) June 13, 2024
6. When Bergeron greets Brady
Photo credit: SCREENSHOT / TVA SPORTS / AGENCE QMI
It wasn’t just Brady’s former teammates who greeted him, but also some Boston sports heroes, like David Ortiz of the Red Sox and a certain Patrice Bergeron of the Bruins. In a message broadcast on the giant screen, the Quebecer showed class, as always. “As an athlete representing Boston, it has been an honor to watch you play so well all these years. You are the greatest of all time,” he said.
7. Manning et Brady
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Two eternal adversaries from 2001 to 2015, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning had a memorable rivalry lasting 17 chapters. The Patriots made a nice gesture by inviting Manning to testify on site. The former Colts and Broncos was excellent. “During the off-season in 2009, I invited Tom to a small town in Tennessee to spend time together. I told him to arrive incognito and sure enough, Tom showed up in Robert Kraft’s big private jet. Bravo for discretion! Some teenagers came upon us and we told them: if you take photos of us and people know we are friends, we will kill you!” he laughed.
Peyton Manning came out to surprise @TomBrady at his Patriots HOF ceremony ❤️
(via @Patriots)pic.twitter.com/YP5gbpnWPk
— NFL (@NFL) June 13, 2024
8. Rivals booed
Two biggest boos from the crowd during video montage: Patrick Mahomes and Eli Manning.
Ed Reed rightfully drew an applause. pic.twitter.com/nl3rYn9NPM
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) June 12, 2024
There are two other former rivals who were clearly not welcome in the place. Presented on a giant screen, Eli Manning was widely booed. The former Giants quarterback helped hand Brady two Super Bowl losses. The only one who rivaled it in terms of disdain from fans was Patrick Mahomes. It was impossible to hear their little message because it was so loud!
9. The trio at the top
Photo credit: AFP
Nothing has matched the succession of the last three speeches, those of Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft and Tom Brady, the three most important members of the Patriots dynasty. The uproar cheering for Bill Belichick was striking and clearly demonstrates that the faithful forgive him for his tough-love tactics toward Brady. Kraft was impactful in his speech and threw a unique evening.
Introducing the greatest of all time, @TomBrady. pic.twitter.com/I5B6xsewwk
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 13, 2024
10. The crush for “babies”
Photo credit: Stephane Cadorette
Entering Gillette Stadium was somewhat chaotic. Employees tried as best they could to hand over a bag of trinkets bearing the image of Tom Brady and a huge crowd quickly formed. It got to the point where the police had to get involved to disperse the herd. The worst part is that before the end of the evening, these bags were already listed for $250 on resale sites. Otherwise, everything went smoothly. Fireworks put an exclamation point on a grandiose evening, before the traditional and infamous traffic jams on Route 1. Nearly two hours yesterday in our case to return to our hotel… 12 minutes from the stadium ! But it was worth it!
Photo credit: Stephane Cadorette
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2024-06-13 10:00:00
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