Patriots ‘ceremony’ for Tom Brady passing Drew Brees was virtually nonexistent

The New England Patriots honored quarterback Tom Brady breaking the career passing yards record with a graphic on the jumbtron at Gillette Stadium.

Sunday was set to be a special day for the New England Patriots, as former quarterback Tom Brady was making his return to Gillette Stadium for the first time as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not only that, but Brady had the opportunity to pass Drew Brees as the NFL’s all-time passing yards leader.

Sure enough, Brady did just that in the first quarter after completing a long pass to wide receiver Mike Evans. The Patriots honored Brady’s accomplishment by placing a graphic on the jumbotron. The team then honored the occasion by sending out a tweet saying that “it’s only fitting it happened at Gillette Stadium.”

Patriots did not stop the game to hold ceremony for Tom Brady

Patriots owner Robert Kraft said during ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown that “the game will stop and we will honor that moment out of respect to him as a great athlete and what he’s given to us.”

However, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter says in the linked article that a Patriots official informed him that the team would “pause to acknowledge the achievement,” but would not stop the game to hold a ceremony for their former quarterback.

Prior to the game, the Patriots aired a video tribute to Brady for the fans in attendance, which can be viewed in the tweet below, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter account.

Even though that Brady is playing for the opposition, the Patriots of course had to acknowledge their former quarterback who helped bring six Lombardi Trophies to New England in his 20 years with the team.