Everyone knows Tom Brady is the greatest of all time, but Robert Kraft says it was much more than Brady's ability on the field that earned him that title.
Kraft inducted Brady into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame this week, officially retiring his number 12.
Brady gave a speech about hard work.
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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft shakes hands with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during a ceremony honoring Brady at halftime of New England's game against the Philadelphia Eagles at the stadium Gillette on September 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Brady was the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, an afterthought compared to other quarterbacks in that class, many of whom are now forgotten.
But Brady had resentment from day one.
“I remember he came to see us 25 years ago and came down the stairs during training camp. He had a pizza box, and he walked up to me and said, 'Hello, Mr. Kraft, I want to introduce myself.'” Kraft reminisced Friday on “Jesse Watters Primetime.” “I told him, 'I know who you are. You're Tom Brady.'
“And he looked me in the eyes and said, 'I'm the best decision this organization has ever made.' I've never met anyone like him in my life.”
Tom Brady and New England Patriots President and CEO Robert Kraft during Tom Brady's induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame on June 12, 2024, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Brady is unique in that no one was willing to sacrifice more for the team than him.
“Players want to make money and earn as much as they can. We have a salary cap, so when he actually won three Super Bowls in his first four years with us, I told him, 'We'll give you [a new contract], but I would like you to accept 30% less, because… it will go to other players to make you better.' He is the only player in my history who would need less money to improve the team.”
There was one more quality about Brady that made him a winner, and Kraft says it could be a lesson for everyone.
Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, right, hugs Patriots owner Robert Kraft, center, as Patriots president Jonathan Kraft, left, looks on during halftime ceremonies held to honor Brady in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 10, 2023, in Foxborough. , Mass. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
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“Tommy put it beautifully. If you want to win, it's really a team sport. It's not individual, and you better get along with all kinds of people from all backgrounds,” Kraft said.
“We need more of that in America today.”
The duo won six Super Bowls in New England before Brady won one more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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