Tom Brady had an emotional night on Wednesday, June 12, when he was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The 46-year-old former pro NFL quarterback, who has since retired from the sport after stints with the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was made a part of Patriots history forever thanks to the honor.
The show ended up being a rager of an event, starting off with a performance from none other than Jay-Z, whose song "Public Service Announcement" had become an anthem of sorts for Tom.
The night included several panel discussions and emotional tributes, and also involved appearances from the likes of Peyton and Eli Manning, Michael Strahan, and Patrick Mahomes, with the latter receiving boos from the crowd for coming the closest to taking over Tom's reputation as the greatest quarterback of all time.
The six-time Super Bowl champ then led a standing ovation to welcome former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who gave a speech highlighting some of his favorite (and even least favorite) plays by Tom over the years.
Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft also announced during the ceremony that Tom's No. 12 jersey would officially be retired, putting the red jacket on the NFL legend, and that a 12-foot statue in his honor would be erected to stand outside the Patriots' Hall of Fame.
© Getty ImagesFinally, in his speech to close out the night, an emotional Tom thanked his teammates, his coaches, everyone in the Patriots universe who supported him, and most importantly, his family. He ended with: "I am Tom Brady and I'm a Patriot."
And it turns out, his family was present to cheer him on, with his three children, 16-year-old Jack, 14-year-old Benjamin, and 11-year-old Vivian. Tom shares Jack with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan, and Benjamin and Vivian with ex-wife Gisele Bundchen.
© InstagramTom shared several sweet photos of his three kids from the event on social media, all dressed up and ready to celebrate, with Vivian even wearing a special jersey with the No. 12 in his honor.
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A backstage snap showed the former football pro lovingly embracing his daughter while she wore his red jacket soon after giving his speech. "Back home with the family," he captioned his collection of photos.
© InstagramRecently, Tom spoke more candidly about his children after the airing of a roast of Tom Brady on Netflix, and admitted that he wasn't prepared for the impact the jokes about him and his relationships would have on his kids.
MORE: Tom Brady gets mocked over divorce from Gisele Bundchen on live TV
"I loved when the jokes were about me. I thought they were so fun," he confessed on the podcast The Pivot. "I didn't like the way they affected my kids."
© InstagramHe called it "bittersweet" and emphasized that it made him want to be a more sensitive parent. "It's the hardest part about, like the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way and then all of a sudden you realize 'I wouldn't do that again' because of the way that it affected, actually, the people I care about the most in the world."
