‘I Am A Patriot:’ Top Moments From Tom Brady’s Patriots Ceremony Speech

FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots legendary quarterback Tom Brady felt right where he was supposed to be Wednesday night.

“Patriots Nation, it feels good to be home,” Brady told the packed crowd to begin his Patriots Hall of Fame induction speech in a one-of-a-kind ceremony inside Gillette Stadium.

Brady, who received two monumental honors during the ceremony, spoke for 20 minutes as he tried to encapsulate what an incredible 20-year career with the Patriots meant to him.

He thanked nearly everyone he crossed paths with during his time with the Patriots, from assistant coaches to front office executives and his droves of former teammates in attendance. He also made sure to express his gratitude to his family and children.

Brady singled out Patriots owner Robert Kraft as well and even got choked up when mentioning Kraft’s late wife, Myra.

“In that time I was taken in by a family who loved me as a son and embraced my family as one of their own,” Brady said. “RKK, look around. You fostered a culture of excellence and integrity that has impacted an entire region. I love you.”

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Brady took a moment to give flowers to Bill Belichick, who made a surprise appearance late in the ceremony and returned to Gillette Stadium for the first time since he and the organization parted ways at the outset of this offseason. For talk about any potential rift between Brady and Belichick, the seven-time Super Bowl champion made his feelings about his former coach well-known.

“Thank you for your tireless commitment to developing and pushing me to be my very best,” Brady said. “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us. … Let me make this crystal clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for.”

Brady spent time thanking the fans, too, who hung on his every word and gave him thunderous ovations.

“You guys are amazing,” Brady said. “What other fans in the world would spend hours on Route 1 every Sunday to get to a stadium in the middle of the woods.”

There were light-hearted moments during Brady’s speech as well. He ribbed Julian Edelman and said Edelman paid him $10,000 to mention the wide receiver by name. He cracked jokes here and there, but nothing like from his roast a month ago.

Mostly, Brady focused on what it meant to be a member of the Patriots and that became a major theme of the speech. The willingness to sacrifice and put individual goals aside for the betterment of the team was something Brady did better than else and helped lift the Patriots to unprecedented heights in the NFL.

And he would be remised on his night if he didn’t try to share the spotlight with his teammates.

“Nobody individually hangs those six banners up there,” Brady said.

Throughout the night, former teammates recalled Brady as a consummate teammate and professional, always introducing himself simply as Tom to new players on the team, no matter their status.

Brady closed his speech with an introduction he can use forever.

“I am Tom Brady and I am a Patriot,” Brady said.

Mic drop.