FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft could barely contain his excitement Thursday when discussing Tom Brady’s planned return to Gillette Stadium this weekend.
The Patriots icon will be honored during Sunday’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. Recently speaking with reporters, Kraft shared the first details about what the ceremony might look like.
“We’re going to do something special and unique with him,” Kraft said.
Kraft said he talked to Brady recently.
“[H]e’s really excited and I’m excited because our fans never really got a chance to say goodbye in a proper way,” Kraft said.
The ceremony is set to be so special, Brady is making it a family affair. In all, Kraft said Brady will have 20 members of his family attending.
“We’re honored to be hosting all of them,” Kraft said.
When 7NEWS asked for some clues as to what will happen, Kraft almost let the secret out. In this case, though, he said it will be much cooler to wait.
What Kraft did say was that all of halftime will be dedicated to Brady and what he wants to do and say to his fans.
“He made such amazing contributions and, when you think about it, the NFL is over 103 years old, I believe, and we were privileged to have the greatest player in the history of the game for 20 percent of those years right here,” Kraft said.
“I think it’s kind of cool that we can say ‘Thank you’ to him and the fans have a way to do it and he can connect,” Kraft continued.
As Sunday’s events approach, the tribute to Brady is a thank you from Patriots Nation that has been a long time coming.
“He had such a great hand in creating the culture,” Kraft said.
“He brought the best out in people but this same guy is a guy who had a heart of gold and would be emotional and sensitive,” Kraft added. “I’ve never met another human being who could be as competitive as he can be and have a heart of gold and be such a high quality human being.”
The entire ceremony honoring Brady, set to be about 10 minutes long, will be available for streaming on the Patriots website.
(Copyright (c) 2023 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)