Tom Brady honored, but booed in Patriots reunion

Tom Brady’s instrumentality arsenic a Tampa Bay Buccaneer brought plentifulness of fanfare and mixed emotions to Gillette Stadium, wherever fans grappled with turning the leafage connected the Foxboro double-dynasty.

“We’re bittersweet to spot him successful a antithetic jersey. But we person to convey him for the astonishing 20 years. For each the games we’ve attended. It’s been an grant to person him arsenic our backmost for 2 decades,” said longtime Patriots instrumentality Diane Wildenhain, who attended Sunday’s game. “It’s bittersweet.”

Watching Brady connected tv successful Tampa Bay reddish is 1 thing, but seeing him connected his aged location turf arsenic the absorption was a equine of a antithetic colour for fans.

“It feels weird, it feels incorrect successful a batch of ways,” said Patriots instrumentality Mike Riffenburg. Riffenburg wore a fig 10 Mac Jones jersey, but fig 12 Brady jerseys acold outnumbered the rookie QB’s gear. The country of the stands fans marked the “Mac Attack Corner” was concisely changed backmost to “Brady’s Corner.” One instrumentality dressed arsenic a pirate successful a agelong reddish cloak.

It’s hard to vie with a 20-year hero’s homecoming aft starting nether halfway for conscionable 3 weeks successful the league.

By each appearances, Brady’s pregame reunion with Patriots unit was lukewarm and fuzzy. A video from NBC’s Sunday Night Football showed the erstwhile Patriots backmost gathering with proprietor Robert Kraft successful a stadium passageway and embracing hours earlier warmups. Brady didn’t instrumentality the tract astatine immoderate constituent earlier squad warmups astir 7:30 p.m., but fans rained down chants of “Brady” erstwhile helium made his entrance.

After taking a half-lap astir the field, helium rant to the 40-yard enactment and gave a speedy hug to Patriots violative coordinator Josh McDaniels. Earlier successful the week the adjunct manager told reporters helium remains “super impressed” with Brady’s show successful Tampa astatine the property of 44.

The Patriots honored Brady’s vocation with a little tribute video connected the newly-installed monolithic Jumbotron, highlighting his six championships with the team. The video showed Brady tossing to chap Buc Rob Gronkowski successful the extremity portion backmost successful their Patriots navy uniforms. Multiple clips showed Brady hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

Fans told the Herald they recovered the tribute wholly due for the Patriots, adjacent though Sunday nighttime Brady was “the enemy,” arsenic Ivan Fears said Tuesday. They stayed connected their feet passim Brady’s video and 2nd entranceway to the field, and chanted his sanction again.

“Tom Brady gave america truthful galore bully years and truthful galore bully experiences. And he’s specified a relation model,” said Pat Stockford, who brought her lad Kyle to the game. “His full life, radical are going to speech astir this game. He’s going to beryllium capable to accidental helium was there.”

But fans said erstwhile the pomp and condition wrapped they were steadfast successful their allegiance to New England, arsenic evidenced by boos that echoed extremity zone-to-end portion erstwhile Brady took the tract with his ain offense.

“Once that shot was kicked, it’s Patriots each the way,” said Jeanine Hornig.

The crippled precise good could person been Patriots fans’ past accidental to spot Tom Brady play astatine Gillette. Historically the Patriots person played the Bucs conscionable erstwhile each 3-5 years. Their past gathering was successful Tampa Bay successful 2017, and Brady has mused successful the past astir hanging up the pads erstwhile he’s 45.

Some fans clasp retired anticipation that Brady inactive mightiness get the accidental to extremity his vocation a Patriot — astatine slightest connected paper.

“I conscionable anticipation helium comes backmost present to motion a one-day declaration truthful helium tin discontinue arsenic a Patriot,” Wildenhain said.