What does it take to induct the most decorated player in the NFL into the Hall of Fame? Playing for the New England Patriots for 20 seasons, Tom Brady turned the franchise around with six Super Bowl wins. And now, after two and a half hours at Gillette Stadium on June 13, the NFL GOAT is officially a Patriots Hall of Famer! 

Last September, Patriots CEO Robert Kraft declared that he was waiving the four-year grace period for Tom Brady to get inducted into the Hall of Fame at Patriot Place immediately. The ceremony is indeed something to remember as several former Patriots players came to honor their latest HoFamer, including Drew Bledsoe, Rob Gronkowski, and Bill Belichick, among others as they watched him retire his jersey. 

June 12 will be remembered as a bittersweet day for fans as it’s the day that Tom Brady retired his jersey number in front of a sold-out crowd. As the highly-touted ceremony at Gillette Stadium comes to an end, NFL on Fox posted on X, “The @Patriots have officially retired @TomBrady’s jersey number and inducted him into their Hall of Fame.” 

The legendary No. 12 jersey has been retired, honoring Tom Brady, who wore it while winning six Super Bowls for the Patriots. The NFL GOAT rightfully earned his place among the legends as the 35th person to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame presented by RTX. While it’s sad on one part to see No. 12 retiring forever, the ceremony was nothing short of expectation and it even brought a hint of the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson essence to it. 

Tom Brady’s HoF ceremony finds similarities with Larry Bird’s induction 

It was previously teased that Tom Brady’s HoF ceremony would have some likeness to Larry Bird’s night. The organization used the past Boston Garden induction ceremony as a blueprint where Bird’s rival Magic Johnson joined him on the stage. In the NFL, Peyton Manning was Brady’s rival who gave him worthy competition as he went 11-6 against Manning. 

Peyton Manning joined Tom Brady in his memorable ceremony as he achieved a milestone as a former New England player. Like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, the two share an amicable bond outside of football putting their field rivalry aside. Now as Brady’s football jersey rests in peace, he needs to buckle up for the big broadcasting role ahead as he gets ready to call the first season game between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.