It is no secret that Tom Brady is a legendary figure in Boston sports history. Brady is widely considered the greatest QB of all time and will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He received a similar honor this week when he was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was one of a laundry list of NFL figures and celebrities at the event. He received thunderous applause and cheers from the crowd when he stepped on stage.

“That’s such a warm welcome,” Belichick said. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Coming back here and seeing all of the Patriots fans. Thank you.”

 

Brady was joined by several familiar faces during the ceremony. Aside from Bill Belichick, several noteworthy former Patriots made the trip to celebrate with Brady. These players included Rob Gronkowski, Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, and Wes Welker. Brady also got to chat with fellow QBs Drew Bledsoe, Brian Hoyer, and Matt Cassel.

There were several people who couldn't be in attendance for the event who submitted video messages. New York Giants greats Eli Manning and Michael Strahan were the first, receiving some boos. The Giants defeated New England twice in the Super Bowl, so it makes sense that fans would be unhappy with them.

However, one player received even louder boos — Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. The superstar QB won his third Lombardi Trophy earlier this year, which has sparked conversation about if he can win more championships than Brady. It seems the fans present were not too pleased at the idea that Brady could eventually be surpassed by a current NFL player.

Jay-Z also performed live for the 60,000 in attendance.

Robert Kraft announces Brady's jersey will be retired, statue built in his honor

Patriots owner Robert Kraft made a handful of important announcements at the event.

Kraft announced that the jersey number 12, which Brady wore for the team for roughly 20 years, would officially be retired.

“Our goal was to create a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony for a one-in-a-kind player. I hope we accomplished that goal with a few firsts,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said during the ceremony, per Mike Weiss of ESPN.com.

Kraft also announced that the team would build a 12-foot statue of Tom Brady and place it outside of Gillette Stadium. It will reportedly be unveiled during the 2024 NFL season.

Brady and Belichick share touching speeches at Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony

The two most important figures in Patriots history both shared touching speeches about the other.

“Thank you for all that you've done for us,” Belichick said during his speech. “Thank you for all you've done for me. And thank you for the example and model that you've been for all of us, on a daily basis, for 20 years. You're unbelievable.”

Brady had some classy words for his former coach as well.

“Thank you for your tireless commitment to develop and push me to be my very best. It wasn't me, it wasn't you, it was us,” Brady said. “Let me make this crystal clear — there is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”

Brady ended his the evening with the perfect statement.

“I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot.”