Now that Tom Brady is retired from football, you'd think that he would have some free time on his hands, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Brady, who was at the Indianapolis 500 over the weekend, has been staying busy and one thing that has been keeping him busy is the fact that he'll soon be opening a new museum.
That's right, Tom Brady is opening a museum. Brady is teaming up with long-time sportscaster Jim Gray and the two of them are opening a "Hall of Excellence" at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The museum will mostly include sports memorabilia, but it will also include several other high-profile items ranging from entertainment to historic cultural moments.
If you're going to open a museum, you have to give people a reason to go and Brady seems to understand that point well, because his curators were able to track down some well known items.
Here are five historical items that will be on display:
- A bat used by Jackie Robinson to break baseball's color barrier (1947)
- Michael Jordan's first pair of Air Jordans (1984) and first NBA championship shoes (1991 NBA Finals)
- Brady's seven Super Bowl rings
- Clint Eastwood's Academy Award for "Unforgiven" (1993)
- The gloves Muhammad Ali wore in a boxing match back in 1966
"So much of this memorabilia represents the incredible journey that I, like so many others, have been fortunate enough to experience," Brady said in a statement. "Artifacts like these do not belong hidden away, they should be shared with the fans who were along for the journey with us."
Brady was recently asked about his favorite items in the museum's collection and he pointed to four that he really appreciated.
"Michael Jordan's first pair of Air Jordans. I mean, that's the start of a cultural revolution, not just a basketball milestone," Brady said in an interview with The Athletic. "Jackie Robinson's bat from 1947 isn't just sports history, it's American history. I also love seeing Tiger's ball from his first Masters win. I remember watching that and being in awe of the precision, the calm under pressure, because I tried to bring that same mentality into my own preparation. And then, believe it or not, there's something about seeing Oprah's Presidential Medal of Freedom that really moved me. It's a reminder that excellence transcends fields. That's what makes this collection so special, it brings all of those stories together in one place, and reminds you how far self-belief can take you."
The museum will also include a trophy room where the Vince Lombardi Trophy will be on display with several other iconic trophies like the Heisman Trophy, the MLB Commissioners Trophy, the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy (NBA Finals) and even a Claret Jug (Given to the winner at The British Open).
Not only will there be hundreds of historical sports items, but the museum will include a self-guided tour that will be narrated by Morgan Freeman. Yup, that Morgan Freeman. Visitors will also hear detailed stories from famous broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Bob Costas and Marv Albert.
The museum will be opening its doors on June 20. With the "Hall of Excellence" being located in Las Vegas, Brady has even more ties to the city now. Back in October, he was approved as a minority owner of the Raiders.
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