FOXBOROUGH, MA – DECEMBER 29: Tom Brady #12 shakes the hand of owner Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots before a game against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family took out an ad in the Tampa Bay Times to send a touching message to Tom Brady and to make a request of Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans.
Tom Brady may be gone from the New England Patriots but the Kraft family wants the future Hall of Fame quarterback to know he will never be forgotten.
According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the Krafts took out a full-page ad in today’s Tampa Bay Times to thank Brady for all he did for the Patriots organization.
The ad is extremely heartfelt. It twice refers to Brady as the “greatest of all time,” highlights his awards and Super Bowl titles and compliments him as a person.
My favorite part, however, comes at the end of the letter when a very specific request is made of Tampa Bay fans and the Buccaneers organization.
“To Buccaneers fans and the Tampa Bay organization – take care of him. You got a great one. “
That likely won’t be a problem. Tampa Bay fans have long been clamoring for a franchise quarterback to come to town, something they thought they were getting when the team drafted Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Unfortunately, Winston never really lived up to expectations. While he showed flashes, his play throughout his five seasons with the team was uneven. Winston finished his final season in Tampa Bay with 33 touchdowns and an NFL-high 30 interceptions.
Brady, despite having a down year last season in New England, should be able to succeed where Winston could not; taking care of the football. The Buccaneers offer Brady dynamic offensive weapons in wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as well as a top-10 defense led by Shaquil Barrett and Lavonte David.
As for the Kraft’s sports breakups like Brady leaving New England aren’t always handled well (see Gilbert, Dan) so hats off to the Kraft family for handling Brady’s departure with class.