Everyone knows Tom Brady is the greatest player of all time, but Robert Kraft says it’s more than just his on-field skills that earned him that title.
Kraft inducted Brady into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame this week and officially retired his No. 12 jersey.
Brady gave a speech about hard work.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft shakes hands with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during a ceremony honoring Brady at halftime of the New England vs. Philadelphia Eagles game at Gillette Stadium on September 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddy Meyer/Getty Images)
Brady was selected 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft but flew under the radar compared to other quarterbacks from that class and is now largely forgotten.
But Brady was unhappy from day one.
“I remember 25 years ago, he came to see us. We were in training camp, he came down the stairs, he had a pizza box, he came up to me and he said, ‘Hi, Mr. Kraft. Let me introduce myself,'” Kraft recalled on “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Friday. “I said, ‘I know who you are. I’m Tom Brady.'”
“And he looked me in the eye and said, ‘I am the best decision this organization has ever made.’ I’ve never met anyone like him in my life.”
Tom Brady and New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft speak during Tom Brady’s New England Patriots Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Gillette Stadium on June 12, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Saints’ Alvin Kamara to leave minicamp early due to lack of progress on contract, agent says
Brady is unique in that he was willing to sacrifice more for his team than anyone else.
“Players want to make money and they want to make as much money as they can. We have a salary cap, so when he won three Super Bowls in his first four years with us, I said, ‘We’re not going to let you have a salary.’ [a new contract]”But I want you to take 30 percent less, because that money goes to other players and makes you better. He’s the only player I know who will take less to make the team better.”
Brady has another attribute that made him a winner, and Kraft said it could be a lesson for everyone.
Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (right) embraces Patriots owner Robert Kraft (center) as Patriots president Jonathan Kraft (left) looks on during a halftime ceremony to honor Brady during the team’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Click here to get the FOX News app
“Tommy put it beautifully: If you want to win, this is truly a team sport. It’s not an individual sport, and you have to get along with all kinds of people from all backgrounds,” Kraft said.
“We need more of that in America right now.”
The pair won six Super Bowl championships together in New England before Brady won one more with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Follow Fox News Digital X’s sports coverage,subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
