Tom Brady statue unveiled by New England Patriots outside Gillette Stadium
The Tom Brady statue outside Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts was unveiled Friday by the New England Patriots.
Thousands of fans packed the plaza for the unveiling ceremony, many of them decked out in No. 12 Patriots jerseys. The ceremony included two video tributes for Brady – one of his career highlights and another looking back to his Patriots Hall of Fame induction last summer – and comments from Brady and Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, who commissioned the statue.
The statue is located outside the team's Hall of Fame at Patriots Place and will greet fans as they enter Gillette Stadium. It truly makes Brady a "Patriot for life," as the quarterback professed during his Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony inside a packed Gillette Stadium last June.
The statue recreates Brady in a celebratory pose with his right fist raised in the air and his helmet in his left hand. It's not any one specific celebration during the quarterback's 20-year career in New England, since it would have been hard to pick just one. The face of the statue replicates the laser-focused look Brady possessed during games throughout his career.
The statue itself is 12 feet tall, but measures to 17 feet from the foot of the base to Brady's fist. The entire structure weighs in at just under six tons. The statue was sculpted by Buccacio Sculpture Services in Canton, Massachusetts.
Tom Brady's reaction to his statue
"This is quite overwhelming. Thank you so much for being here, it means the world to me," Brady said to the crowd.
Brady thanked the Kraft family, his former coaches and teammates, and New England fans during his speech. He also cracked some jokes at the expense of some former teammates -- and the New York Jets.
"Usually they don't build statues until you're really old, like [Mike] Vrabel and [Tedy] Bruschi. It's not every day you get a statue, at least like this," said Brady. "Seeing myself as a statue isn't something I could imagine growing up; I just wanted to make the team. I never thought I would be standing here two decades later, standing in bronze and frozen in time. It's actually fitting, given my 40-yard dash time."
Brady was thrilled with how the statue looked, and joked that local reporters will finally refer to him as "chiseled." He thanked Jeff Buccacio of Buccacio Sculpture Services, though his praise was interrupted by a phone call.
"Jeff, you and your team did an incredible job. Seriously, it is so accurate, so detailed," said Brady, before pretending to get a phone call. "Sorry, that was coach Belichick. He said there was still room for improvement. I know the feeling."
Brady thanked the thousands of Patriots fans in attendance, and then took a shot at the New York Jets.
"To Patriots Nation, I can't put into words how much your support and your love meant to me. You showed up in the rain, snow, zero degree temperatures," he said, which prompted another "Brady!" chant from the crowd. "You earned every single one of these banners that fly above this stadium forever. In the end, this statue isn't just for Pats fans. It will give Jets fans something to throw their beer at as they leave the stadium -- probably in the second quarter. Maybe the third."
Brady then made it clear that while the statue may be of him, it represents much more than just Tom Brady.
"I know what this statue represents. It's not about one guy; it never is and never has been, and in football, it never will be. It's about a team and commitment to being great together. I'm proud to know that fans can show up at this stadium and feel as inspired as I always did playing here," he said.
"I said this before but will say it again. I'm humbled and honored to be part of this organization for 20 years. For that, I am forever grateful," Brady continued. "I hope I've given to you as much as you've given to me. Thank you New England, I love you. Let's get ready to kick off the 2025 NFL season. LET'S GO!"
Robert Kraft on the Tom Brady statue
Kraft addressed the crowd before the unveiling, and like Brady, was impressed with the crowd on hand for the event.
"Wow. I hope this is a predictor of the upcoming season, this kind of support," said Kraft. "I want to thank you all for being here this evening as we honor and immortalize the career of a sports icon, the greatest NFL player of all time, Tom Brady.
"There's a saying, 'People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel.' For two decades, Tom Brady made the Patriots feel invincible," Kraft continued. "His story wasn't scripted, it was earned. Every yard. Every fourth-quarter comeback. Every win.
"Now your likeness will forever stand tall at Gillette Stadium, just like you did, standing tall, poised, and laser-focused," said Kraft. "May this statue forever remind us of what Tom Brady did and how he made us all feel."
Who attended the Tom Brady statue ceremony?
Brady had his family on hand for Friday night's ceremony, including his father, Tom Brady Sr., and his mother, Galynn Brady.
Brady had several former Patriots teammates in attendance, including Wes Welker, Devin and Jason McCourty, David Andrews, and Brian Hoyer. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel even snuck out of the team's pre-game warmups to make it over for the ceremony.
Former Brady teammates Deatrich Wise, Jonathan Jones, and Kliff Kingsbury – who are now members of the Washington Commanders – also ditched pre-game warmups to watch the statue unveiling.
Tom Brady statue ceremony
The ceremony began just after 6 p.m. at Patriot Place Plaza, next to the team's Hall of Fame. Kraft and the Patriots had hoped to unveil the statue last year, but Brady's NFL broadcasting season with FOX never brought him to Foxboro, so the statue was put in storage and the ceremony was moved to 2025.
Tom Brady and the Patriots
The Patriots retired Brady's number 12 in June 2024. He retired after the 2022 season after winning six Super Bowls with the Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady was drafted by the Patriots in 2000 in the sixth round and took over as the starter from Drew Bledsoe in the 2001 season. He won three NFL MVP awards and five Super Bowl MVPs in his career. He turned 48 on Sunday, August 3.