Tom Brady officially became immortalized by the New England Patriots on Wednesday.
During the iconic quarterback’s induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame, owner Robert Kraft announced that Brady’s No. 12 would be retired and he would become the first player in franchise history to be commemorated with a statue outside of Gillette Stadium.
While Brady was celebrated for over three hours on Wednesday night, he also wanted to share his take on who was the most responsible for the Patriots’ dynasty between him and Bill Belichick.
“To Coach Belichick: Thank you for your tireless commitment to develop and push me to my best,” Brady said during his induction speech. “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us. Our hard work, our love of the game and the way we worked for one another — that’s what it was all about.”
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The question of who was most responsible for the Patriots’ dynasty between Brady and Belichick has been a hotly debated topic in recent years, especially after the quarterback’s decision to leave New England. After winning six Super Bowls in 20 seasons with Belichick, Brady won his seventh Super Bowl in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Meanwhile, Belichick faltered in Foxborough, going 29-38 in four seasons before the franchise parted ways with him in January.
Additionally, there were rumors and reports that Brady’s working relationship with Belichick became strained by the time he left the organization. But if there were any issues between the two, it’s water under the bridge now to Brady.
“Let me make something crystal-clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick,” Brady said.
Wednesday marked Belichick’s first appearance in Foxborough since his departure from the organization. There were some questions about whether he would appear at Gillette Stadium as reports in recent months also suggested that his relationship with Kraft might have also been strained by the time his tenure with the Patriots ended.
When Belichick took the podium for his speech on Wednesday, Patriots fans drowned him with “Bill!” chants.
“Love you, New England,” Belichick told the crowd. “Love you, Patriot fans. And love Tom Brady.
“Thanks so much, that’s such a warm welcome, I can’t tell you how much it means to me to come back here and see the great Patriots fans. Thank you.”
Belichick turned his attention to Brady shortly after.
“It was a tremendous honor and a privilege for me to draft Tom and coach him for 20 years,” Belichick said. “As we’ve heard from so many of his teammates, his pursuit of excellence, his work ethic, the drive, the competitiveness, the unselfishness, everything he brought to the team, it was really an honor for me to be involved with that and to be able to work with him every day and learn from it. We can talk about a lot of his great plays and honestly, we’d be here all night, probably into the middle of next week.”
Belichick wasn’t the only person from the Patriots organization who Brady mentioned Wednesday, shouting out several other coaches and players from his 20 seasons with the team.
“Nothing of significance in life is accomplished as an individual,” Brady said. “Nobody individually hangs those six banners up there. The team does. Here in New England, it’s always about ‘we’ and ‘us,’ not ‘me’ or ‘mine.’ Relationships are built on shared experiences, and the most meaningful thing in my life are relationships. I truly wish I had more time. I wish I had more time to give you all.
“How do I sum up two decades in New England in one short speech? The answer is simple: you can’t. It’s hard for me to properly express my gratitude and my appreciation for how my time here has added to my life. There are too many lessons learned, too many stories to be told, too many incredible moments and achievements we all experienced together. It would take me 30 days to get through it all, not 30 minutes. There are so many people to thank, and I apologize in advance if I leave anybody out.”
Kraft shared that the statue of Brady will be a 12-foot bronze structure that will be unveiled during the 2024 season.
“It is the honor of my life to take my place among these other Patriot Hall of Famers and to be officially enshrined into the winning legacy of this amazing organization,” Brady said. “You humble me, you make me proud and I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady, and I am a Patriot.”
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