Buccaneers Take to the Water to Celebrate Bowl Victory

Thousands of fans gathered to cheer for the team
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 10, 2021 5:43 PM CST
Buccaneers Take to the Water to Celebrate Bowl Victory
Fans cheer during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla.   (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrated their Super Bowl victory Wednesday with a boat parade amid continued concern over the coronavirus pandemic, the AP reports. The parade got started around 1pm on the Hillsborough River near downtown Tampa. Thousands of fans decked out in Buccaneers gear lined the river on a sun-splashed day to cheer on stars such as quarterback Tom Brady, tight end Rob Gronkowski, Coach Bruce Arians, and many others. The team arrived by bus and boarded at least four boats. At one point, Brady was captured on video tossing the championship Lombardi Trophy from his boat to a shirtless Gronkowski in another boat. That brought wild cheers from fans and players. Mayor Jane Castor again emphasized that people attending the parade must wear masks outdoors and observe social distancing rules.

It appeared many were abiding by the mask order, but many others were not. There were also dozens of people on private watercraft crowding the river. They were told to stay at least 50 feet from the boats carrying players. After Tampa Bay's 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, throngs of people gathered in the city's entertainment districts. Many were seen maskless despite the orders requiring them. Also Wednesday, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out at the news media when he suggested there is bias in coverage of the pandemic, particularly the Super Bowl in Tampa. “You don’t care as much when it’s a peaceful protest,” he said. “You don’t care as much if you’re celebrating a Biden election. You only care about if it’s people you don’t like.” DeSantis attended the Super Bowl and was photographed at times not wearing a mask despite a requirement to do so.

(More Super Bowl stories.)

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