Two weeks after the Tom Brady statue was unveiled outside Gillette Stadium, the sculptor behind the bronze piece spoke with Boston 25 News about his process.

Jeff Buccacio of Buccacio Sculpture Services out of Canton spent two years with his small team carefully crafting the project of a lifetime.

“[Brady] was on my shoulder when I was making this thing,” he told Boston 25 News reporter Daniel Coates. “I was tired, and he’s saying to me, ‘Is that all you got? C’mon!’”

The statue stands at 17 feet tall — representing the number of division championships Brady collected over his career.

It weighs 6,000 pounds on a six-sided base — representing the number of Super Bowl titles Brady brought to New England.

A bronze statue of former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is unveiled in Patriot Place Plaza before an NFL preseason football game between the Washington Commanders and the New England Patriots Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Buccacio said the New England Patriots reached out in 2023 about interviews being conducted for a Tom Brady statue.

He said shortly after he met with the Kraft’s in Foxboro.

“There were Lombardi trophies, all these images on the wall,” he said. “It was a little overwhelming.”

He continued, “Through a series of photographs, there was one in particular that stood out to them… Stoic, exhausted, just right after the kill.”

The Kraft’s, Buccacio said, were looking for a statue of Brady raising his right hand with his helmet in his left.

Buccacio is a well-known, Canton-based artist that ships pieces across the country and is responsible for many recognizable statues across New England.

“For me, it was kind of exhilarating,” he said. “People will tell stories when all of us are gone and he’s gone about what [Brady] did.”

Buccacio said after long nights, working weekends, and constant self-evaluation, he and his team completed the piece roughly a year ago. It was unveiled at the Patriots preseason game with Buccacio, Kraft, Brady and thousands of Patriots fans in attendance.

Before the unveiling, Buccacio said he was doing some final touch ups.

Kraft met him with the statue before the unveiling, telling Buccacio, “You know, we expect everything perfect around here, and you’ve exceeded my expectations.”

The statue’s drawn a range of opinions since it’s unveiling two weeks ago.

Buccacio said, “We do our very best with all of it, and we accept the outcome, and we get better from it and move on.”

With tears in his eyes, he told Boston 25 News this was something that meant everything to him and his family.

“My dad was a big Pats fan,” he said. “He would’ve been proud of me.”