Pats retire Tom Brady's number, announce statue plans
Thu Jun 13 1:21am ET
Field Level Media
The New England Patriots, while inducting Tom Brady into their Hall of Fame on Wednesday, delivered a few surprises for the legendary quarterback.
Team owner Robert Kraft revealed that the Patriots are retiring Brady's uniform No. 12 and are commissioning a 12-foot-tall bronze Brady statue that will be installed during the 2024 season.
"(The statue) will stand alone in the plaza outside of the Hall of Fame to symbolize his position, not as the greatest in franchise history, but as the greatest in all of NFL history," Kraft said.
The ceremony drew a crowd of 60,000 to the Patriots' home stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The three-hour festivities included appearances by scores of Brady's former teammates and ex-Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. It was the first time Belichick returned to Foxborough since he resigned at the end of last season.
Brady gave thanks to all, saying, "I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot."
He added of Belichick, "It wasn't me. It wasn't you. It was us. ... Let me make this crystal clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick."
Brady, playing under Belichick, spent 20 years with the Patriots, leading the team to six Super Bowl championships. He later added another title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Belichick, greeted with huge cheers from Patriots fans, said to Brady, "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 top rivals, Peyton Manning, also attended, chatting with Brady alongside ceremony host Mike Tirico.
Manning said, "You knew when you were playing against a Tom Brady team, you better be at your best, cause if you weren't, Tom Brady was going to beat you every time."
Brady added, "I think that I could never have been the type of player that I was without having someone like Peyton that I had to aspire to be like. And 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."
Brady, 46, was a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player who holds the league records for completions (7,753), pass attempts (12,050), passing yards (89,214) and touchdown passes (649).
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The Paur Report
Bender's Starts/Sits: Week 3
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (knee) is officially inactive in Week 3 for the team's contest on the road against the Tennessee Titans. Love suffered a sprained left MCL in his knee in the Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil and will now miss his second straight game as a result. The good news is that Love practiced all week and was questionable to play on Sunday against the Titans, so he stands to have a good chance to make his return in a big divisional clash next weekend at Lambeau Field versus the Minnesota Vikings. With Love out again on Sunday, backup Malik Willis will make his second straight start against his former team, the Titans. Expect another run-heavy game plan from Green Bay, making Josh Jacobs a must-start in fantasy against the 0-2 Titans. Willis should be considered a low-end QB2 for those in superflex leagues.
From RotoBaller
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Week 3 versus the Los Angeles Chargers. The rookie had previously battled an ankle injury but was removed from the injury report on Friday. It seemed as though he was going to make his NFL debut this Sunday, but in the end, he's inactive despite being healthy. His debut will have to wait at least one more week. The Steelers enter their clash against the Steelers with just four wide receivers, of which George Pickens is the only one possessing fantasy relevance.
From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Russell Wilson (calf) has been declared inactive for the Week 3 game but will serve as the emergency No. 3 quarterback.
Fantasy Spin: Wilson has been working his way back from the injury, but the Steelers continue to go with Justin Fields as their starting quarterback. Fields probably should only be considered an option in two-quarterbacks this week.
From TheHuddle
Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills (knee) is officially active for Week 3 against the New York Giants. He had been sidelined for the team's first two games of the season while recovering from last year's knee surgery. Cleveland will benefit from having Wills available, especially given that right tackle Jack Conklin (hamstring) is inactive. Wills' return is great news for the Browns' offense particularly Deshaun Watson, Jerome Ford, and D'Onta Foreman.
From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From TheHuddle
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From TheHuddle
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From TheHuddle
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From RotoBaller
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From RotoBaller
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From TheHuddle
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From TheHuddle
Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young's benching following the team's Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in favor of QB Andy Dalton is not considered to be permanent, according to multiple sources. The thinking is that Young will regain the starting role at some point later this season, although head coach Dave Canales did not detail how long he would remain on the sidelines. The organization still views Young as their long-term solution at quarterback and feels that he would benefit most from watching.
Fantasy Spin: Dynasty owners should continue to hold on to Young, who had recently attracted the interest of multiple NFL teams looking to see if the Panthers were considering trading him. Dalton should be viewed as a midrange QB2 option for as long as he is the starter, although his fantasy ceiling isn't very high.
From TheHuddle
