New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft thanked Tom Brady in a full-page ad in the Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times. Brady signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday after spending 20 seasons with the Patriots and winning six Super Bowls. Kraft also sent a message to Bucs fans which said: “Take care of him. You got a great one.”
“For 20 amazing years, you gave us everything you had,” the ad reads. “When you arrived as a sixth-round pick — and the best selection this franchise has ever made — no one imagined all you’d accomplish or how much you’d soon mean to an entire region. You now leave New England after two decades of dominance as the GOAT and former a part of our family.”
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On page A3 of today’s @TampaTimes … pic.twitter.com/CpgvqNloAJ
โ Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 22, 2020
What the Kraft family wrote in the ad is similar to what Kraft had to say about Brady when he announced he wasn’t returning to New England. Kraft released a statement which said: “How do I possibly sum up the depth of my gratitude to Tom Brady for what he’s given us these past 20 years, or the sadness I feel knowing it’s ending? I love Tom like a son and I always will. He has brought so much happiness to me personally and to all of our fans. I had hoped this day would never come, but rather that Tom would end his remarkable career in a Patriots uniform after yet another Super Bowl championship. Unfortunately, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement to allow that dream to become a reality. While sad today, the overwhelming feeling I have is appreciation for his countless contributions to our team and community.”
Along with winning six Super Bowls, Brady won four Super Bowl MVP awards and he was the NFL MVP winner three times. Brady joins a Bucs team that is coming off a 7-9 record in 2019 and the last time they reached and won the Super Bowl was in 2002.
“Excited, humble and hungry …if there is one thing I have learned about football, it’s that nobody cares what you did last year or the year before that…you earn the trust and respect of those around through your commitment every single day,” Brady wrote in an Instagram post that shows him signing his contract with the Bucs. “I’m starting a new football journey and thankful for the [Buccaneers] for giving me an opportunity to do what I love to do. I look forward to meeting all my new teammates and coaches and proving to them that they can believe and trust in me…I have always believed that well done is better than well said, so I’m gonna not gonna say much more – I’m just gonna get to work!”