Photo: Kyle Bray/WBZ NewsRadio
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The New England Patriots unveiled a new statue of former quarterback Tom Brady at Gillette Stadium Friday.
A 17-foot-tall bronze statue towering over the entrance of the stadium underneath the lighthouse as fans from all over packed up the Foxboro arena to get a glimpse of honoree.
“This is a special occasion for the greatest-of-all-time to have a statue,” Ron, a long-time Pats fan, told WBZ NewsRadio. “This is wonderful.”
That title, the ‘greatest of all time’ or the “G.O.A.T,” was just one of the many names mentioned to celebrate what Brady symbolizes to sports fan throughout the New England region.
“From 16 to 36 [years old], I got to witness the greatest-of-all-time, so [I feel] very lucky to share the stories with [my son], show him the highlights and now he’s here to see the statue,” Peter, who flew from South Carolina, said.
Over his 20-year career on the team, Brady led the Pats to six Super Bowl championships.
"I can't put into words how much your support and your love meant to m," Brady said to the crowd at the ceremony. "You showed up in the rain and the snow in zero degree temperature, and you earned every single on of these banners that fly above this stadium forever."
The statue is 12 feet tall itself, but stands on top of a five-foot base that has six sides to with the score of each of his Super Bowl wins in New England. In total, the statue is 17 feet tall, the same number of AFC East titles Brady won in his career.
“The 2000s and 2010s cost me a lot of money between the Patriots, the Celtics, the Bruins, and the Red Sox, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Brian, who flew in from Washington, said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Kyle Bray (@KyleBrayWBZ) reports.