Patriots fan POV and recap of Tom Brady Day at Gillette Stadium

One of the most anticipated days in Patriots history has finally come and gone. Since Week 1 of the 2023 season, fans have been waiting for June 12, 2024 (6/12) for Tom Brady's enshrinement into the Patriots Hall of Fame, and the day delivered enough memories to last a lifetime.

But what made this day a day fans will remember for the rest of their lives?

First, the overall atmosphere must be noted. Fans from all over the world flew to Foxboro for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Every fan was in a good mood, which filled the air with excitement outside and inside the stadium.

Outside the stadium, an endless sea of every style of Tom Brady jersey filled the surrounding area, including the home, away, throwback, and yes, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and combined Patriots and Bucs jerseys.

In addition to the jerseys, the Patriots Pro Shop had special Tom Brady merchandise made especially for the event. However, there is something negative to say about the shirts, jackets, and sweatshirts. Since all of Brady's clothing is made by NOBULL, there is no 3XL size, and in the Pro Shop, multiple people could be heard asking about that size.

Because the biggest size was only 2XL, many people were left to buy clothing they couldn't fit into, or hats, water bottles, pins, footballs, and more. Many fans left giant holes in their wallets that day.

The pre-show to the ceremony kicked off the night in the right way

To make the evening even more significant, a pre-show was hosted by notorious Patriots fan Fitzy, Patriots.com writer Mike Dussault, Mike "Sarge" Riley, current Patriots defensive tackle Deatrich Wise Jr., and former Patriot Jason McCourty.

Even more special were interviews on the red carpet, hosted by team reporter Tamara Brown, as the dozens of former players, coaches, and others arrived.

Tom Brady arrived in a helicopter an hour before the ceremony began. When Fitzy said into the microphone on the main stage, "GOAT alert! He's here!" there was an instant buzz in the stadium, knowing Brady was in the building. Brady gave heartfelt answers to his interview questions as he trudged through the red carpet and into the VIP room where his former coaches and teammates were waiting for him.

Now, jumping ahead to the ceremony. Finally, it's showtime... almost! Bill Burr, a comedian from the Boston area, came out and had the entire stadium laughing. He should have been involved in the Tom Brady roast because of how funny he was.

His most memorable joke was taking a jab at the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, saying he'll never be who Brady was. That got an enormous cheer from everyone at Gillette Stadium.

Then, it was finally time for the moment fans had been waiting for. Legendary rapper and producer Jay-Z was the opening performer, performing his hit song "Public Service Announcement," in which Brady walked out from the tunnel at the end of the song, which led to the first of many eruptions of the night.

Countless players shared their admiration and respect for Tom Brady throughout the evening

The ceremony was played with host Mike Tirico, Brady, and a group of players who played on the same side of the ball. Hearing the trash-talking from Brady and the defensive group that consisted of Vince Wilfork, Ty Law, Willie McGinest, and Devin McCourty showed how competitive they all were with each other. Law recalled when Brady told him that he wasn't giving up the starting job, and that's when he knew Brady would be the one over Drew Bledsoe.

Speaking of Bledsoe, there was a quarterback room discussion that consisted of Brady, Bledsoe, Matt Cassel, and former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. They talked about meetings they had in the quarterback room, how they would help each other, and how Brady was an overall leader. But Brady was blindsided by a special surprise guest, his rival Peyton Manning.

For the first time, Peyton Manning was cheered on in Gillette Stadium. Manning and Brady talked about their rivalry, and Manning told a story about the middle of their rivalry: The two of them agreed to meet in Tennessee to work out and convinced a group of high schoolers to catch passes from them.

But the high schoolers could not tell anyone, as Manning said, "If you tell anybody that Tom Brady and I are working out together and that we're friends, we're going to kill you." Fans loved hearing that Brady and Manning would pick each other's brains and work out together.

Peyton was not the only Manning that made an appearance. Eli Manning left a video message for Brady, but it could not be heard over all the boos from the crowd. Ravens legends Ed Reed and Ray Lewis also left messages, along with Dolphins great Jason Taylor and Giants legend Michael Strahan. All were met with boos except for Reed and Taylor.

But the one person who received the loudest boos was Patrick Mahomes. Fans seemed to not agree with any of these players to leave Brady a video message.

The best parts of the entire ceremony were significant for Patriots fans

The two most memorable moments not involving Brady directly were Bill Belichick and Randy Moss. Both received standing ovations for multiple minutes as fans cheered and showed their appreciation, especially to Bill Belichick. Both had nothing but great things to say about Brady, and then it was time for Kenny Chesney to give a quick song break before the best two speeches of the night.

A runner-up in best speech goes to Robert Kraft. Kraft again highlighted that Brady told him in their first time meeting that he was the best decision the organization had ever made. But that wasn't met with nearly as loud cheers as to the announcement that the number 12 is officially retired and that a 12-foot bronze statue of Brady will be erected outside of the Hall of Fame.

Fans lost their minds to these announcements as Kraft announced that the statue will be unveiled during this upcoming season.

But finally, it was time for Brady to speak. He thanked as many people as he could. He then gave the best speech any young athlete should hear. He said, "Football is hard," "Life is hard," and encouraged everyone to play football. He summarized his vision of hard work and how it's applied to everyday life.

But most importantly, he ended it by saying, "I am Tom Brady, and I am a Patriot." The crowd did not stop cheering for five minutes as Brady, Kraft, and all the other Patriot Hall of Famers waved off to the crowd to end the perfect night for a perfect quarterback.

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