Over a year ago, the New England Patriots started preparing for the Wednesday retirement of Tom Brady’s No. 12 jersey at Gillette Stadium. Executives from the Patriots met shortly after the famous quarterback officially announced his retirement (this time). Their goal was to figure out how to honor possibly the greatest athlete in history.
The culmination of a recognition program that began with Tom Brady’s address during halftime at the Patriots’ home opener last season, during which he referred to himself as a “Patriot for life,” will take place on Wednesday night in front of a full house in Foxboro. This is how the occasion came to be.
What’s happening?
More so than most teams, the Patriots take great pride in their franchise Hall of Fame, which makes sense for the most successful club of the twenty-first century. They started its Hall of Fame in 1991, but it did not become well-known until 2008 when, taking a cue from the Green Bay Packers, the team established a physical storefront next to the stadium.
Players who retire from the Patriots must wait four years before they are ineligible for the team’s Hall of Fame. This allows the team to celebrate players a year before they become eligible for a gold jacket, which is one year before players are eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (The Patriots present a red jacket to their franchise’s Hall of Famers.)
However, owner Robert Kraft and the team wanted to find more significant methods to pay tribute to Brady given his stature and everything that he represented to the Patriots. Brady will thus become the first player to have the waiting period waived for induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame, according to an announcement made by Kraft during his halftime visit for the 2023 opener. They will also retire his number.
The Patriots have retired seven numbers, though none since offensive tackle Bruce Armstrong’s No. 78 in 2000. They’ll have some difficult decisions ahead after an unbelievable 20-year streak, maybe next needing to decide whether to retire Rob Gronkowski’s No. 87.
.@TomBrady halftime ceremony from @GilletteStadium.#PHIvsNE on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/DcX6ZnznEY
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 10, 2023
Wait, why is the ceremony in the middle of June?
The Patriots began planning this more than a year ago. But Brady’s new job created a wrinkle.
Typically, the team likes to welcome back its inductee for a full weekend of affairs, with a ceremony taking place the Saturday before a home game, then allowing the former player to watch Sunday’s game in Kraft’s suite. (Last year’s inductee, Mike Vrabel, ruffled the feathers of Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk when the then-Titans coach sat next to Kraft during the Titans’ bye week. Strunk fired Vrabel immediately after the season.)
The Patriots changed the date of their celebration to a summer one since Brady would not be available for an autumn weekend because he would be calling games for Fox this season.
The Patriots soon realized that staging the event in July would be challenging because most NFL players take vacations in the first part of the month. The training camp starts in the latter part of the month. It would have been difficult to acquire the Patriots’ desired participants before mid-June or to forfeit time in early July because a large number of them are restricted by the league’s schedule.
Weekends were out of the question because, as planning began more than a year in advance, the stadium blocked Saturday dates for prospective New England Revolution or U.S. Soccer matches, in addition to potential concerts. The organization also looked into the 1993 Boston Celtics jersey retirement ceremony, realizing that it took place on a Thursday, which further fueled the idea of a midweek event.
The Pats then considered the week of their mid-June minicamp. They reasoned that as clubs across the league wind up minicamp, it would be simpler to bring back Brady’s old teammates (two notable ones, Vrabel and Wes Welker, are now coaches).
The Patriots also took solace in the fact that June 12 was the date of their last minicamp. It was promoted as an easy one to remember: the 12th day of the month for Brady’s soon-to-be-retired number, and the sixth month of the year for his six Super Bowls with the Patriots.
Who will be there?
Brady’s former teammates have responded in an incredible way. The organization anticipates that over 200 of his former teammates, in addition to numerous coaches and some A-list celebrities with whom Brady has cultivated friendships, will make the trip back to Foxboro for the occasion.
Yes, Bill Belichick is included in that. Since parting ways with the Pats in January, the former coach has not returned to Gillette. On Wednesday, he is anticipated to be present.
All of the key players, including Gronkowski, Vrabel, Welker, Julian Edelman, and Randy Moss, are anticipated to attend; however, the team has not yet disclosed the complete guest list.
Naturally, tens of thousands of admirers will be present as well. The team ran out of tickets in waves the same day that they went on sale, so Wednesday night’s stadium was probably crowded. The primary goal of those ticket sales was to pay for operating costs, but it is anticipated that the total cost of the production will be much higher than the money raised from sales of tickets.
What will it look like?
The format will be the same as previous Patriots Hall of Fame ceremonies, but it will take place in a larger location. A panel of former teammates is anticipated to share anecdotes about Brady, his career, and their time together with the club. Presumably, Belichick will also take the stage and tell some stories of his own.
Then Kraft will speak and welcome Brady to the podium.
Can I watch it?
It is anticipated that the event would begin at 7 p.m. ET and last for 2 1/2 hours. (This implies that it should be finished before the Celtics and Mavericks play in the third game of the NBA Finals.)
Both the Patriots’ website and social media accounts will stream it. Local TV will not air it.
(Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
