Tom Brady got a “fitting farewell!”
The retired NFL star, 46, was honored by the New England Patriots at halftime of their game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in a touching ceremony, where Brady had a chance to thank the fans who have cheered him on for 20 seasons with the team. retired his number 12 jersey.
After being introduced, a jersey-clad Brady ran onto the field to join sons Jack, 16, and Benjamin, 13, and daughter Vivian, 10 – all of whom were also wearing his jersey – at the podium. He opened the speech by teasing that “the run out today was a little longer than it was.”
“I’m not very fit, but it’s impossible for me to be in a stadium full of you amazing fans with some of the best teammates, with my family, with all my friends and not run away like I did for 20 years,” he said.
Tom Brady is joined by his three children as the New England Patriots honor him.
New England Patriots/Youtube
“This is an incredible celebration for me, for our family, for my teammates, for all of us to come back and thank you for what you’ve done for us,” Brady said of the ceremony held in his honor.
The NFL legend reflected on joining the Patriots in 2000 — when he didn’t know where New England was — and how far the team has come since then.
“I was so lucky to be drafted here two decades ago, 23 years to be exact, I didn’t even know where New England was on the map,” he said before humbly bragging about his former team, “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.”
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Tom Brady returns home to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
New England Patriots/Youtube
After thanking everyone involved in making the Patriots the team they are, Brady remarked, “No one 23 years ago could have imagined that this journey would get us here today” with six Super Bowl titles.
“We had a lot of countless memories in this stadium,” said the retired defender. “Celebrating wins against great teams in Foxborough in weather like today where we loveI like to see the opponents coming and be a bit worried about what the conditions are going to be like.”
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“We dealt with everything that came our way. We have dealt with a lot of adversity and it has hardened us. And we represented you as a team. Every time we took the field,” Brady added. “One of my fundamental beliefs is that there is nothing significant in life that can be achieved as an individual. It’s always about the team.
“We are building a culture of teammates who carry things. They care about each other and they care about winning. And if you didn’t care about those two things, you didn’t make it through the year long. And we were very glad to play against you.”
“So I think we proved to America what teamwork is,” Brady continued. “We proved that by believing in each other, believing that we play for this community and believing that we play for a common mission, we were able to display six of those banners and celebrate them in this stadium.”
“Our whole lives take us on different journeys. They take us to different places. They bring different people into our lives. But one thing I am sure of and it will never change is that I am a lifelong patriot!” Brady exclaimed proudly.
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Plans for Brady’s return have been in the works since earlier this year, but most of the details have been kept under wraps, according to NBC Sports Boston.
However, earlier this week, Kraft Sports & Entertainment COO Jim Nolan revealed on 98.5 The Sports Hub Zolak & Bertrand show that it would be the halftime ceremony.
“Everybody here is really excited to have Tom back. We didn’t get a chance to give him a proper send-off when he left New England,” Nolan told NBC Sports Boston. “We are excited for our fans to express their gratitude to Tom on Sunday.”
For the iconic quarterback who won six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots, the return to Foxborough was highly anticipated.
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“It’s going to be a special reunion,” Brady said on his podcast last week Let’s go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray on SiriusXM. “I’m excited to get there. I haven’t been back much.”
He added: “I had two decades of amazing life-changing experiences. I have so many memories from my time there,” he added. “I’m making a new memory with the people there and to go back to that stadium and bring my kids and my family in a different way, you know. I’ve never been in that stadium like this. I went there as a player. I went there once as a competitor, and now I will go there as a fan. I will be there in the future as a broadcaster.”
During the ceremony, Brady was reunited with many of his former teammates, including Hall of Fame cornerback Ty Law.
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