About 3,000 fans were treated to a perfect afternoon Saturday at Rob Gronkowski’s induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame.
Gronkowski held court in the plaza before the ceremony and spiked a Packers helmet. He had the crowd roaring throughout his acceptance speech. Former teammates shared fun stories about the lovable tight end, some not so PG-13. Gronkowski capped the day with his signature Gronk spike on stage.
Well, it was almost perfect.
“Brady! Brady! Brady!” the fans chanted as Tom Brady was introduced at the beginning of the ceremony. He waved to the crowd, but that was it. He sat on stage for an hour like a piece of furniture, not participating. Brady showed up for Gronkowski, but did nothing for the fans.
It’s painfully obvious — Tom Brady has no use for Boston, New England, or Patriots fans anymore.
He may call them “the greatest fans in the NFL,” as he did at his Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2024, and consider himself “the messenger here to tell the world just how amazing Patriots fans really are.” His actions say he doesn’t give a darn.
Would it have been so hard to share five minutes of Gronk stories? It wouldn’t have taken away from Gronkowski’s spotlight, as some have suggested; Brady’s stories would have only multiplied everyone’s joy.
This snub came in the wake of Brady’s unbelievable comment in February, when he said he had “no dog in the fight” in the Super Bowl.
That’s Brady’s message to the organization that cultivated his greatness, and to millions who bought his jersey, named their dogs (or sons) after him, and defended him blindly during Deflategate.
There’s even a decent chance he helped the Seahawks game plan for the Patriots, as coach Mike Macdonald credited “one guy that really helped us out that had some conflict of interest.” Macdonald’s subsequent denial rang hollow.
Talk about a slap in the face.
Brady left for Tampa Bay in 2020. He sold the Brookline mansion and, by all accounts, no longer maintains a home here. Settled into post-football life in Miami, he certainly wouldn’t be the first to leave New England for a warmer climate.
But Brady seemingly cut off all ties, with no public charity endeavors or presence in the community. He is following in the footsteps of Larry Bird, another Boston legend who detached when his career ended.
Patriots president Jonathan Kraft, when explaining why Gronkowski’s ceremony was held in November instead of August or September, said, “Blame the NFL, because this was the first time that they booked Fox to be here this year, and we really wanted Tom to be here to celebrate with Rob.”
The subtext: Brady can’t be bothered to visit Boston on his own time. A 2021 Buccaneers game at the Patriots, his 2024 induction ceremony, Sunday’s Patriots-Packers game with Fox . . . though he will do a business event at the old TB12. Or, like last week, at his CardVault by Tom Brady store in Boston.
His chosen crowd now is the wellness set, where he attends conferences and preaches about “performance optimization,” and the billionaire set, such as Tom Wagner, who was behind Brady’s purchase of a minority piece of the Raiders.
Sunday in Foxborough, Brady was whisked in and out of the stadium by his handlers, and spent most of the day in the protected confines of the broadcast booth. The same at his 2024 induction ceremony. He’ll wave to the crowd from up high and show off his expensive watch, but never interacts with the hoi polloi.
Gronkowski, a major celebrity in his own right, offers an interesting comparison. As a player, he was a champion of the Patriots’ Tuesday community efforts, honored as the team’s Ron Burton Community Service Award winner in 2016.
“He is always eager to volunteer, and is always excited to be out in the community and giving back to children, making numerous visits to local schools and hospitals each year,” team owner Robert Kraft said in a video.
Gronkowski hasn’t been a Patriot since 2018, but the ceremony had multiple references to him maintaining a residence in the Boston area. His Gronk Nation Youth Foundation “still touches charities all over New England,” Jonathan Kraft said. The Gronk Playground on the Charles River Esplanade opened in 2025. Gronkowski also still hosts a Boston Marathon team for fund-raising, and will do so again in 2027.
He has a knack for making genuine connections.
“I’m talking about the culinary staff, the training staff, the equipment crew, the video crew, the building operations people,” Jonathan Kraft said. “They love him, and they wanted to be great for Rob. Thank you for the joy and happiness and smiles you’ve brought all over New England.”
When was the last time anyone said those things about Brady?
For someone who spent 20 years in New England and was adored by millions, he didn’t leave much of an imprint — nothing like the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis, where the former quarterback made a $10 million donation in 2007. Brady’s only signature charitable endeavor was Best Buddies, for which he raised tens of millions of dollars over the years but also received complimentary Audis and millions of dollars for his own foundation. Gillette Stadium employees speak mostly of staying out of Brady’s way.
Brady did help provide six Lombardi Trophies, for which Patriots fans will be eternally grateful. Perhaps that’s all he owes anyone in New England.
Brady sure acts like it.
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.