Photos highlight Tom Brady's emotional Hall of Fame ceremony as Patriots retire his No. 12
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots threw one heck of a party on Wednesday night, as Tom Brady was enshrined in the team's Hall of Fame in Foxboro. It was a star-studded evening full of Brady stories, fun reunions, and even a few tears.
In the end, Brady received his red jacket as the 35th member of the Patriots Hall of Fame and had his No. 12 retired by owner Robert Kraft. And there will be another Brady night sometime soon as Kraft announced that a 12-foot statue of the quarterback will be erected outside of the Hall of Fame during the upcoming season.
Patriots retire Tom Brady's No. 12
No one else will ever wear the No. 12 for the Patriots, Kraft announced during his time on stage Wednesday night.
Tom Brady receives his red jacket
"I am Tom Brady, and I am a Patriot," Brady said to finish his speech on Wednesday.
Toward the end of the ceremony, other members of the Patriots Hall of Fame joined Brady on the stage.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick reunite again
Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick received one of the biggest ovations from fans during Brady's ceremony. The two praised each other during their time at the podium, and Brady delivered the line of the night when he put an end to that "Brady vs. Belichick" debate.
"It wasn't you. It wasn't me. It was us," Brady told the crowd to a thunderous applause.
Plenty of Brady friends -- and foes -- were on hand
Hundreds of Brady's former teammates were in attendance, and many of them got to spend some time on stage sharing Brady stories.
In one segment, Brady was joined on stage with some of his biggest and best weapons: Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss, and Wes Welker. Moss received such a big ovations from fans that he teared up on stage.
Brady was also joined on stage by his longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and his former backups Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer, as well as the guy whose job he took, Drew Bledsoe. In one of the funnier moments of the night, Bledsoe called Brady "the worst backup quarterback of all time."
Some New England legends on the defensive side of the ball also joined Brady on stage, with Vince Wilfork, Willie McGinest, Devin McCourty, and Ty Law sharing stories of their battles in practice and Brady's leadership.
The Patriots also played a video of a number of Brady's "enemies" signing his praises, including Patrick Mahomes, Ed Reed, Michael Strahan, Eli Manning, and Jason Taylor. Peyton Manning was a notable omission from the video, but for good reason: Manning was there and joined Brady on the stage.
Manning joked that he was welcome in New England because he always lost to Brady and the Patriots.
More than 60,000 fans were in attendance for Tom Brady's enshrinement
Patriots fans packed Gillette Stadium to honor the GOAT, and they were not disappointed with the show.
Bill Burr, Jay-Z, and Kenny Chesney were "special guests" for Tom Brady's ceremony
Canton's own Bill Burr had the crowd rolling before the ceremony and the standup comedian had more jokes throughout the evening. A lifelong Patriots fan, Burr was honored to be part of Brady's ceremony.
The evening started with Brady taking the field the same way did during his 20 seasons with the Patriots: To Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement." The big difference this time was that Jay-Z was on hand to perform his hit live.
Country music star Kenny Chesney was the second musical guest of the night and performed his football-inspired hit "The Boys of Fall."