JUST IN: Pats retire Tom Brady’s number and reveal their plans for a monument….

During Tom Brady’s induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame on Wednesday, the team surprised the legendary quarterback with significant honors. Team owner Robert Kraft announced the retirement of Brady’s No. 12 jersey and the commissioning of a 12-foot-tall bronze statue of Brady, set to be unveiled during the 2024 season.

“The statue will stand alone in the plaza outside the Hall of Fame to symbolize his status, not just as the greatest in franchise history, but as the greatest in NFL history,” said Kraft.

The ceremony attracted 60,000 attendees to the Patriots’ home stadium in Foxborough, Mass., featuring appearances from many of Brady’s former teammates and ex-Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. It marked Belichick’s first return to Foxborough since his resignation last season.

In his speech, Brady expressed his gratitude, saying, “I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot.” He praised Belichick, stating, “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us. … Let me make this clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”

Brady spent 20 years with the Patriots under Belichick, leading the team to six Super Bowl titles before winning another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Belichick, greeted with cheers from Patriots fans, thanked Brady for his contributions, saying, “Thank you for all that you’ve done for us. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. And thank you for the example and motto you’ve been for all of us on a daily basis for 20 years. Congratulations.”

One of Brady’s main rivals, Peyton Manning, also attended, sharing a conversation with Brady and ceremony host Mike Tirico. Manning remarked, “You knew when you were playing against a Tom Brady team, you better be at your best, because if you weren’t, Tom Brady was going to beat you every time.” Brady reciprocated the admiration, saying, “I think that I could never have been the type of player that I was without having someone like Peyton to aspire to be like. I looked at him as the gold standard for quarterback play, and I still do. There’s nobody like Peyton Manning out there right now.”

At 46, Brady, a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player, holds league records for completions (7,753), pass attempts (12,050), passing yards (89,214), and touchdown passes (649).