Tom Brady is New England Patriots' hardest worker, says owner Robert Kraft
Thursday 7 September 2017 15:44, UK
New England Patriots will unveil a fifth Super Bowl championship banner during a special ceremony ahead of the NFL season opener on Thursday night.
The Patriots kick off the new season by hosting the Kansas City Chiefs at their Foxborough home - live on Sky Sports Action from 1.20am in the early hours of Friday morning.
Ahead of the game, Patriots owner, Robert Kraft - in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News' Richard Graves - hailed the importance of veteran quarterback Tom Brady in the team's success and looked ahead to kick-off.
"I've had the privilege of knowing [Tom] maybe half his life," said Kraft. "He's a great example - the disciplines he has, how he does things: he is the hardest working person on that field.
"You see young people come into the locker room and they are in awe of him - they're 22 now, but they were six or seven years old when they were first watching Brady on TV.
"Now they're playing with him, he has a way, though, of making them feel comfortable, and they see how hard he works for them.
"He's a nice guy. But he's a taskmaster too."
Despite Brady winning a record fifth Super Bowl ring, and showing no signs of retiring any time soon, even after turning 40 in August, Kraft is still keen to hold on to back-up QB and Brady's potential successor in years to come, Jimmy Garoppolo.
"People wanted to trade for Jimmy, but we wouldn't," said Kraft. "We don't reveal our hand to the competition on how we plan to handle it. But we like having good quality depth management."
It's Brady though who will take to the field, leading the team out on opening night against the Chiefs but before the game starts, Kraft says there are one or two treats in store for the fans, including the unveiling of a somewhat troublesome fifth banner.
"Believe it or not, we didn't have room for more than four banners," added Kraft. "We had a big project to try to get things right.
"But we've worked very hard on planning a ceremony that is very special. We have a musical talent performing who is top drawer, and a personal friend with strong Boston roots who is a great actor, known globally, and a great fan. He is coming to participate too."
Watch the first game of the new NFL season as reigning Super Bowl champions New England Patriots host Kansas City Chiefs in Thursday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Action from 1.20am.
Follow the 2017-18 NFL season with us on Sky Sports and through our website skysports.com/NFL also our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL
