Robert Kraft issues emotional statement as Tom Brady retires
"I have the greatest respect for Tom personally, and I always will."
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Even though Tom Brady omitted the New England Patriots from his initial retirement post, there’s no escaping the inextricable link between him and the franchise he won six Super Bowl titles with over 20 seasons.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been one of Brady’s most vocal supporters over the years, and he was front-and center in praising the all-time great quarterback on Tuesday after Brady made his retirement from the NFL official.
Here’s the statement from Kraft, as shared by the Patriots’ social media account:
“Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately express the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career. A generation of football fans have grown up knowing only an NFL in which Tom Brady dominated. He retires with nearly every NFL career passing record, yet the only one that ever mattered to him was the team’s win-loss record. In his 20 years as a starter his teams qualified for the playoffs 19 times. He led his teams to 10 Super Bowls, winning an NFL-record seven championships. In a team sport like football, it is rare to see an individual have such a dominant impact on a team’s success. You didn’t have to be a Patriots fan to respect and appreciate his competitiveness, determination and will to win that fueled his success. As a fan of football, it was a privilege to watch. As a Patriots fan, it was a dream come true.
“I have the greatest respect for Tom personally and always will. His humility, coupled with his drive and ambition, truly made him special. I will always feel a close bond to him and will always consider him an extension of my immediate family.”
The Patriots’ account also posted a tweet expressing their gratitude for Brady, showing him riding away into the sunset on a duck boat (in a Patriots jersey, of course).
Kraft reportedly expressed significant disappointment in losing Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency two years ago and has been vocal about wanting Brady to officially end his career with the team that drafted him in 2000.
“I’m always rooting for Tommy, except when he’s playing us,” the Patriots owner told former New England linebacker Willie McGinest before Brady’s return to Foxborough in 2021. “In the end, I hope and believe he’ll come back here and we’ll give him his red jacket, and he’ll retire a Patriot.”
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