Tom Brady’s legacy in New England is cemented a number of occasions over, however the legendary quarterback’s determine will stay a everlasting presence at Gillette Stadium after a statue was unveiled Friday night. The 12-foot-tall — in honor of Brady’s jersey quantity — bronze statue was unveiled in a ceremony forward of the Patriots‘ first preseason recreation towards the Washington Commanders.
“There’s a saying, people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel,” Patriots CEO Robert Kraft stated forward of the disclosing. “And for two decades, Tom Brady made [the] Patriots feel invincible.”
It’s laborious to argue with Kraft’s assertion. One yr after being drafted with the 199th decide of the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady stepped in for injured beginning quarterback Drew Bledsoe and gained 11 of 14 video games as a starter, main the Patriots to the playoffs and a win in Tremendous Bowl XXXVI.
Brady would lead the crew to 6 Tremendous Bowl championships, profitable Tremendous Bowl MVP in 4 of these video games. He would additionally decide up one Tremendous Bowl win (and recreation MVP honors) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady additionally gained three NFL MVP awards below middle for New England.
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Talking after the statue was unveiled, Brady echoed Kraft’s earlier feedback, turning them towards the throngs of New England followers who confirmed up for the ceremony.
“This is quite overwhelming, obviously, and I just thank you so much for being here,” Brady stated. “It means the world to me. I appreciate it. Thank you. As RKK just said it perfectly, people will never forget how you made them feel. Right now, I feel extremely honored, deeply grateful, and if I’m being honest, kind of old.”
Brady additionally discovered time to throw a shot on the fanbase of a few of his former AFC East rivals.
“But in the end, the statue isn’t just for Pats fans,” Brady stated. “It’ll also give all the Jets fans something to throw their beers at as they leave the stadium every year. Probably in the second quarter. Maybe the third.”
