On Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium, Tom Brady became the 35th individual in New England Patriots franchise history to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. That much was a foregone conclusion. In fact, for the undisputed greatest player in franchise history — and arguably the NFL's GOAT — this would be the bare minimum. That's why the Patriots went above and beyond for Tom Brady on Wednesday night.

During the ceremony, which took place in front of over 60,000 fans in attendance, Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced that the Patriots would not only be retiring the #12 jersey that Tom Brady wore for 20 seasons, but that they would also be unveiling a 12-foot-tall statue of Brady outside of Gillette Stadium at some point during the 2024 NFL season.

“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.

Though the Robert Kraft or the Patriots have yet to announce exactly when the statue will be revealed, a quick investigation of New England's 2024 schedule shows that FOX will be on the broadcast for three Patriots home games this year: Week 2 versus Seattle, Week 6 versus Miami, and Week 11 versus the LA Rams. Don't be surprised to see Joe Buck and Tom Brady on the call for at least one of those games, giving the Patriots home crowd the chance to honor Brady while he's in attendance.

Former quarterback Tom Brady speaks during his New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Gillette Stadium.
© Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

What Tom Brady had to say during Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony

Throughout the night, various panels took the stage to talk about the impact of Tom Brady's career. Some of his notable playmakers, such as Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Wes Welker made up one group. A group made up of former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Drew Bledsoe, Brian Hoyer and Matt Cassel was another. Former rivals, like Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Michael Strahan, Ed Reed and Patrick Mahomes were in attendance as well. But the big ticket speaker of the night, aside from Brady of course, was former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

“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.”

When Tom Brady had the opportunity to give his speech, he was equally appreciative of what his former head coach had done for him.

“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.”

Tom Brady ended the night with an authoritative statement that perfectly capped the event.

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

Forever and always.