Retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady will be inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame on Wednesday after team owner Robert Kraft expedited his entry.
Brady, who retired from the NFL at the end of the 2022 season, was welcomed back to Gillette Stadium for the Patriots' 2023 home opener. Then, Kraft announced that he was waiving the four-year waiting period to enter the team's hall of fame.
"When Tom Brady announced his retirement after 23 NFL seasons, there was only one place I wanted him to be on opening day – right here at Gillette Stadium, with 65,000 of his closest friends," Kraft told fans in September 2023. "Patriots fans didn't get an opportunity to appropriately thank Tom when he left. I wanted to give them that opportunity."
June 12 was chosen because Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowls, and he wore the No. 12 jersey.
Brady spent 20 seasons with the Patriots, starting the overwhelming majority of games in 18 of those campaigns. In addition to the six Super Bowls, Brady compiled a 219-64 record with the Patriots during the regular season. He also quarterbacked the Patriots to 30 postseason wins.
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Brady will become the 35th person inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. He also becomes the third quarterback to enter the team's Hall of Fame.
He left New England at the end of the 2019 season and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While in Tampa Bay, he led the Bucs to a Super Bowl in his first of three seasons in Florida.
Brady owns countless NFL quarterback records, including most Super Bowl, regular season and postseason wins, most passing yards in the regular season and postseason, and many other records.
The 46-year-old is embarking on a new chapter in his career starting this fall as he will become Fox's lead color commentator for NFL broadcasts.
Although Brady got an exception into the Patriots Hall of Fame, it appears he'll have to wait for a while to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. To gain entry into Canton, he'll need to wait five years after his retirement as a player, meaning he won't be eligible for induction until 2028.
