HOUSTON -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had said he wanted to win Super Bowl LI for his mother, Galynn, who has been battling an undisclosed illness, and he did so in epic fashion.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who shared an emotional embrace with Brady, acknowledged the poignancy of the moment in the celebration after the team's 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons.
"This is the first game this year that his mom has been able to attend, you know. She's been going through chemotherapy and radiation," Kraft told ESPN's Sal Paolantonio. "And she made the effort to come with his dad. So I said, 'You gotta win this one for Mom.' And I was thinking about that in the second half with the score where it was. But we never gave up believing in Tommy."
Brady had a large contingent of family and friends supporting him in Houston. Among them were his wife, Gisele Bundchen, and his sisters. Bundchen posted a photo of "Brady's Ladies" on Instagram before the game, with Brady's mom part of the group.
"I was happy everybody was here," Brady said. "I had my wife, my parents, my sisters, my brothers-in-law and one of my sisters-in-law. A lot of friends, and it was a full contingent of support."
Brady, who previously said he had purchased 100 tickets for the game, posted a picture of himself with his family at NRG Stadium.
Brady's mother dealt with the drama of the Super Bowl the way many Patriots fans did Sunday.
"All I did was pray," she said. "The whole game -- just prayed."
The Brady matriarch spoke to Boston's CBS affiliate WBZ on the field after the win, and was asked how she reacted to the Patriots' 28-3 deficit in the third quarter.
She said she was "so happy" just to be at the game.
"Oh my God, thank you," Galynn Brady said when told by a reporter that her son had played the game for her. "I'm overwhelmed."
"Oh, it was hard," she added on how she dealt with the emotion of the rally.
Brady acknowledged earlier in the week that it has been a difficult year for his family. He became emotional on his first night of Super Bowl week when asked by a 7-year-old reporter about his hero. He choked up as he explained that it is his father.
"That's a great question. I think my dad is my hero because he's someone I look up to every day," Brady said before a noticeable pause.
He then looked down and adjusted the microphone with his right hand. His eyes welled up before he made eye contact with the youngster and simply said, "My dad."