Tom Brady says Kobe Bryant's death has kept him up at night and brought him to "so many tears" -- and now he's opening up about why the "real superhero" meant so much to him.
TB12 didn't just love Kobe as an athlete -- but he respected him as a father, husband and businessman ... and says Bryant was an inspiration.
The NFL star penned a very long statement about how he's been processing Kobe's death -- while paying tribute to everything Bryant stood for.
Here's Tom's statement in its entirety .