After making them the most decorated franchise in NFL history, the New England Patriots are returning the favor to Tom Brady in the form of a 12-foot-tall statue that will be prominently displayed outside of Gillette Stadium. Considering the amount of precious gems and hardware that Brady was able to amass on behalf of the franchise, it’s rather poetic that the Patriots have decided to immortalize him in bronze.
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Nevertheless, the hosts of the Covino and Rich Show on Fox Sports Radio felt the need to debate which honor is greater, a statue or a street name?
According to Rich Davis, while there is a “tier system” for celebrating retired players, the ultimate honor lies in having your name forever embedded in the U.S. mailing system.
“There’s a tier system, and it starts with you’re in the ring of honor or the team retires your number. Then, after that, it’s the Hall of Fame. And then, after that, it’s a statue. But I still think that the street name is the ultimate honor.”
While it would certainly feel surreal to meet up with your friends on a boulevard that’s named after you, Steve Cavino couldn’t help but favor having a statue. In noting that some of humanity’s greats, such as former generals and leaders, have all been celebrated in a similar fashion, Cavino suggests that a statue simply means more.
“The answer is obviously the statue. You go back into ancient times, that’s how they immortalized their heroes and legends and leaders. If you’re able to do that in today’s world, with a 12-foot, bronze statue of Tom Brady, I think that says a lot about his legacy and years to come. It lives on… [The street name] is very cool, but it doesn’t beat the statue.”
While two of them were willing to agree that “statues should be reserved for guys like Michael Jordan and Tom Brady,” Cavino did suggest that perhaps the ultimate badge of honor could be having a stadium named after you. Unfortunately, Gillette is entitled to the naming rights of the Patriots’ stadium through 2031, meaning that it will be while before the franchise is even allowed to consider such a gesture.
Considering that naming rights for stadiums often come with millions of dollars and brand endorsements, it’s unlikely that either Brady or the Patriots themselves would be willing to fork over that amount of cash strictly for namesake. Then again, if there was ever a player who was both capable and worthy of brokering such a deal, it’s the generational quarterback who has amassed a net worth of more than $300 million.
No matter what the Patriots decide to do, the legend of Brady is destined to be passed down through the coming generations. For better or worse, every NFL fan knows his name, and that is something that will likely never be taken away from him.
