FOXBORO, Mass — In case you haven’t heard, a pretty famous quarterback is making his first home start of the season Sunday.
Tom Brady, who made his 2016 debut in the New England Patriots’ win over the Cleveland Browns, is back at Gillette Stadium on Sunday for the first time since serving his four-game Delategate suspension. But he isn’t the only A-lister in Foxboro, Mass., for the big game.
“We’re all excited,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft told NFL Network’s Stacey Dales on Sunday. “We definitely have all the A-listers. They usually don’t come out till the end of the season. But the request for tickets today are off the charts. A lot of it is Tommy’s homecoming, so to speak. People are really excited.
“Being in Cleveland last week, this is my 21st season as an owner, and I never have been at the tunnel, waiting to go out on the field about an hour before the game, and I hear people chanting, ‘Brady, Brady!’ It was really amazing. I have no tickets left. That’s really a tribute to Tommy and what he’s accomplished. Having him back, we’re all excited.”
Kraft didn’t stop there. He went on to praise Brady for his work ethic and everything he’s done for the Pats during his storied career.
“He really is like a son to me,” Kraft said. “We’ve been together for 17 years. Some of the people playing on the team with him were like three or four years old when he started playing. I think he’s evolved as a person. His love and passion for the game and how hard he works, I think today he appreciates what he’s doing more than maybe he did 10 years ago. He works at the game, he eats a certain way, he trains.
“One of the good things about having him back the last two weeks really, is how he trains and having the young kids on the team. I think any of us who deal with millennials see how they take in information and how they do things. You have to evolve to adjust to them. Seeing this work ethic and how he does things, it’s been a great leadership example for every younger player for our team.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
