HOV showed up for the GOAT.
On Wednesday night, JAY-Z surprised the crowd at Tom Brady‘s New England Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony as he emerged from a massive plume of smoke and fog for a special performance.
In videos posted online from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the rapper, 54, can be seen and heard singing his song, “Public Service Announcement (Interlude).” The track, which begins in the style of a PSA, discusses the idea of history being made in front of the listener’s eyes.
“Fellow Americans, it is with the utmost pride and sincerity that I present this recording, as a living testament and recollection of history in the making during our generation,” the walk-out song for Brady, 46, states. “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is HOV (oh), H to the O-V.”
Fans immediately pointed out the significance of the introduction by the Brooklyn-born billionaire, referencing Brady’s affection for the singer and the song throughout his career. The now-retired quarterback spent much of his professional life hitting the field to the song booming from the speakers.
“I just watched Tom Brady get intro’d to Public Service Announcement in person for at least the 60th time, but the first time actually by Jay-Z himself instead of a recording,” one fan from inside the stadium wrote in a message on X (formerly Twitter).
The crowd, ostensibly flabbergasted by the appearance, shouts and cheers as the rapper sings his 2003 hit before updating the lyrics for the occasion.
“Put one hand in the air for the GOAT, Mr. Tom Brady, tonight,” JAY-Z says as the crowd goes wild and Brady makes his big entrance onto the field.
The celebration of Brady was marked by appearances from John Cena, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, longtime head coach Bill Belichick, and other big names both in and out of the National Football League, including many of those present at The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady.
Prior to his induction ceremony, Brady sat down with ET and discussed the Netflix televised event where comedians, teammates and notable New Englanders came together to lovingly pile on the jokes about one of the greatest football players of all time. The all-in-good fun event turned out to be more than Brady bargained for, however, as his failed marriage to Gisele Bündchen and her new romance with a jiu-jitsu master became one of the biggest punchlines of the night. Brady and Bündchen were married from 2009 to 2022.
“You know, I’m appreciative of all the people that worked very hard to make it successful, so it was exactly what it should be, and I hope it’s a reprieve for people,” Brady told ET on Wednesday. “The hardest part for me was my kids having to hear some tough things and, you know, hopefully we all learn from the experience.”
Ahead of the induction, Brady also took to Instagram to share a sweet video his kids made to celebrate the momentous event in his career. The video includes photos of Brady with his kids, Benjamin, 14, and daughter Vivian, 11 — whom he shares with Bündchen — as well as Jack, 16, from his previous relationship with Bridget Moynahan.
“Hey, Dad, we’re all so excited to be back in Boston this week,” Vivian says, “and I thought it would be fun to look back at all those amazing years as a Patriot.”
“My kids surprised me this morning with this video, and I wanted to share it with my Patriot family too,” Brady captioned the post. “What a ride. See you tonight New England.”
The post echoed another sentiment he shared with ET earlier in the day when Brady said that out of all the accomplishments in his life — and there’s quite a few — being a dad is among the most rewarding roles he has taken on.
“There’s no greater joy for me than being in these kids’ lives and just watching them grow up and mature,” Brady said. “And I love when they’re with me and I love when they’re around the things that I’m doing. These kids make every day of my life better.”
Brady was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round with the 199th overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft. He faithfully led the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins throughout his 20 seasons with the team before his 2020 exit to go play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While he ultimately retired after three seasons with the Florida NFL team, Brady is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
The Patriots even waived the traditional requirement that a player wait four years before being inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame, calling him a critical member of the Patriots dynasty. He is the 35th Patriot to be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.
“Pretty amazing,” Brady told ET when asked what it means to receive the honor. “This journey started 24 years ago here and I saw a lot of my teammates last night. Just overwhelmed, I would say, is probably the one word that describes it all … it’s a very unique moment for me. It’s just a really cool celebration for all of us tonight. It’s really not all about me. It’s about us and our teams and what we accomplish together. It’ll be really special tonight.”
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