Tom Brady joined on Wednesday night New England Patriots Hall of Famethe team in which won six of his seven Super Bowls and he became the GOAT of American football and at the same time one of the greatest athletes on the planet. During the ceremony, before a packed Gillette Stadium, franchise owner Robert Kraft announced that The number 12 would be retired and a statue would also be erected in honor of the quarterback.
TB12 offered an emotional speech in which he remembered family, friends, fans, former teammates and, especially, Bill Belichick. He closed his speech with an unforgettable phrase: “I’m Tom Brady and I’m a Patriot.”. But before we get to this moment, she explained how she became a legend, and she wasn’t shy about sharing her recipe for success. We now reproduce a fragment of this speech that offers a valuable life lesson
I would encourage everyone to play football [americano] for the simple reason that it is difficult. It’s hard when you’re young and you wake up in the off-season to go train and exercise, knowing that all your friends are sleeping in and eating pancakes. It’s hard when you’re on your way to training, carrying all your gear, it’s 32 degrees and all the other kids are at the pool or the beach and your body is already completely exhausted from everyday workouts.
It’s hard to throw, block, catch, tackle and hit kids when they are so much bigger and more developed than you, only to come home that night bruised and battered, but knowing that you have to show up the next day just to have the chance to try again.
But understand this: life is hard. No matter who you are, there will be bumps, injuries and stumbles along the way. And my advice is to prepare yourself. Because the lessons of football teach us that success and achievement come from overcoming adversity and that team achievements far exceed any individual’s individual goals.
To be successful at anything, the truth is that you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people are not: consistent, determined and willing to work for it. No shortcuts. If you look at all of my teammates here tonight, it would be impossible to find better examples of men who embody that work ethic, integrity, purpose, determination and discipline that it takes to be a champion in life.
We teach by example. Nothing important in life is achieved alone. That’s the Patriots way of doing it. Here in New England, we were the first team to take the field in a Super Bowl not as individual players, but as a single unit. That’s us! We did it and we were the best in the world. And history will never forget it.
