Tom Brady Inducted into Patriots HOF; QB Honored by Belichick, Moss, Manning, More

Three weeks after being roasted by former teammates and celebrities, Tom Brady returned to his home of 20 years for a much more friendly reception to be inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced during halftime of the opening game of the 2023 regular season that he was waiving the traditional four-year period to induct Brady into the team's Hall of Fame.

The date for the ceremony was chosen specifically because it's the 12th day of the sixth month of the year. Brady wore jersey No. 12 for his entire career and won six Super Bowl titles during his 20 seasons with the Patriots.

The event began with WWE legend John Cena narrating a video of Brady's career, starting with the card from the 2000 draft with his name listed as the 199th overall pick in the sixth round.

Along with the surprise performance of "Public Service Announcement" from Jay-Z, Brady was also joined on-stage by longtime rival Peyton Manning.

After Manning and Brady reminisced about their storied rivalry, the Patriots brought out former quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe, Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer and former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for a trip down memory lane.

Between the roast and Wednesday's ceremony, Bledsoe apparently missed his calling as a comedian.

One of the more emotional moments of the night came from Randy Moss when he was talking about being acquired by the Patriots, when the fans inside of Gillette Stadium gave him a standing ovation.

Moss was part of the pass-catcher panel that included Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Wes Welker.

The semi-main event of the ceremony featured Bill Belichick speaking about his two-decade partnership with Brady that formed the most successful coach-quarterback duo the NFL has ever seen.

Kraft was the final guest to take the stage to formally induct Brady into the Hall of Fame, including the announcement that No. 12 is officially retired by the Patriots.

After putting on his red jacket for the first time, Brady got his chance to address the crowd at Gillette Stadium.

The event was an appropriately massive ceremony to put a bow on the arguably most successful 20-year run that any NFL player had with a single organization.

Brady's six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots were the most by an individual player in league history. He added a seventh in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In addition to his team success, Brady is one of five players to win at least three MVP awards. He finished in the top five in MVP voting seven other times.

There was never doubt the Patriots would induct Brady into their Hall of Fame. They only waited one year after his retirement to make it official. He is the 35th person to receive the honor.

The next Hall of Fame ceremony for Brady will come in 2028 when he becomes eligible to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.