Tom Brady knows Lombardi Trophies almost too well with his seventh one via the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His feel for the trophy is so familiar that he easily tossed it across the water from his $2-million dollar boat to another boat amid teammates ready to catch it per ESPN Sports Center. It occurred during the team’s boat parade on Wednesday. Bucs fan Whitney Holtzman captured the video and shared it with the media.
The Checkdown shared a video of Brady launching the Lombardi from an up-close angle.
Mystery Catcher
ESPN Sports Center Tweeted that star tight end Rob Gronkowski caught the Lombardi Trophy, but NESN confirmed that tight end Cameron Brate actually made the catch. Brate said “that was the best catch of my life” according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud.
“If had dropped that? I think I would’ve had to retire, Brate added per Stroud.
Brady, who has won more Lombardi trophies than any NFL franchise, simply made sure to keep passing around the trophy during the parade along the Hillsborough River. The most any NFL has for Super Bowl wins is six — both the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers have won that many. Brady ironically led the Patriots to six before signing with Tampa in March 2020.
Celebration on the Water
The parade took place on the river to accommodate social distancing during the pandemic. Players, coaches, and their families sailed on multiple boats as they wave to the crowds. The players and coach also held a private celebration with victory speeches from players, head coach Bruce Arians, and general manager Jason Licht. Both Arians and Licht declared they’re going after a second Super Bowl win next season.
“We have the best coaching staff in the NFL. And we damn sure have the best players in the NFL,” Arians said per ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “… We’re going for two. We’re going for two. And we ain’t stopping. We’re gonna keep this band together, and they know how to win.”
Longtime Bucs linebacker Lavonte David, who began with the team in 2012, wants another shot at a Lombardi Trophy, too, per Stroud. Arians interjected that David “ain’t going nowhere!”
Linebacker Devin White concurred per WFLA’s Gabrielle Shirley.
Bucs defensive tackle Vita Vea delivered another Gatorade bath for Arians at the celebration as he did at the Super Bowl. Vea and fellow defensive end Will Gholston did the deed in the Big Game per ABC Action New’s Kyle Burger.
Tampa beat Kansas City 31-9 in Super Bowl LV on Sunday to become the first team ever to play and win a Super Bowl in its home stadium. Brady won MVP, and the defense shut down a Chiefs offense that hadn’t failed to score in double figures since 2017.
The Bucs came into 2020 off a 7-9 season amid a 13-year playoff drought, but everything changed when Brady signed a free agent contract with the Bucs in March 2020. Talented veterans such as Gronkowski joined him in Tampa and helped an already talented team go 11-5 followed by three playoff road wins to reach the Super Bowl.
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Tom Brady Tosses Lombardi Trophy [Watch]