Patriots Honor Their No. 12 on Same Day Tom Brady Wins Record 23rd AFC Player of Week Award (Photos)

by Luke Hughes on Wed, Dec 12, 2012 at 3:12PM

Tom Brady is an icon in New England sports history. So, why not dedicate an entire day to the three-time Super Bowl champion? Well, the Patriots did just that Wednesday.

In honor of Dec. 12, 2012 — that’s right, 12/12/12 — the Patriots held “Tom Brady Day.” The honors included special giveaways from the Patriots on Twitter as well as changes to the team’s Facebook and Twitter pages in his honor.

The Patriots even set up an entire gallery of Brady photos to choose from, for those who want to dedicate their Facebook or Twitter page to No. 12.

The honor may not carry quite the same shelf life as an MVP award or Super Bowl trophy, but in the moment it’s got to be pretty darn cool — even if Brady himself isn’t all that caught up in the hubbub.

“What a day,” Brady joked in his weekly meeting with the media Wednesday. “It’s not gonna happen again. Enjoy it.”

Speaking of honors, the NFL made Brady’s day even a little bit better Wednesday, announcing that the 35-year-old quarterback was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week. This marks a record 23rd time Brady has won the award, breaking a tie with Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning for the all-time lead. It’s Brady’s third time winning the award this season, as he also took home the honors for a Week 4 win in Buffalo and Week 8 win against the Rams.

Check out some of the ways the Patriots are honoring Brady Day, both at Gillette Stadium and on social media, below.