Tom Brady and the Buccaneers celebrate their Super Bowl victory

Brady and his Buccaneers celebrate the conquest of the Super Bowl with maritime parade

Tom Brady threw the Super Bowl trophy from his yacht into his teammate Gronkowski's boat to the delirium of fans this Wednesday, in the middle of the maritime parade with which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrated their triumph in the NFL final.

Brady threw three touchdown passes, two to tight end Gronkowski, in Sunday's 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55 to capture his seventh NFL career crown, the first after 20. years with the New England Patriots.

There were parades "but it was very cold. It was nothing like this," Brady noted in a television interview tweeted by the Bucs.

"This is perfect," said the NFL star to define the celebration in Tampa.

The 43-year-old quarterback had never enjoyed such a Super Bowl celebration because of the cold this time of year in Boston.

Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

"This is amazing. I love it," Brady said. "Very happy for our team. Everyone can experience this. A very good day." Is anyone working today? No way".

As the boat parade continued its march along the Hillsborough River and downtown boardwalk, fans cheered for the champions by waving flags around the shoreline.

From the back of his yacht, valued at about two million dollars, Brady carried the Vince Lombardi Trophy that the team won on Sunday to become the first club in history to win a Super Bowl at home.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held a boat parade Wednesday to celebrate their Super Bowl LV championship on a sun-splashed day with thousands of fans lining the Hillsborough River near downtown Tampa.

As the parade came to a close, head coach Bruce Arians said the Buccaneers could easily repeat as champions if the team stays intact.

"We have the best coaching staff in the NFL. And we damn sure have the best players in the NFL," Arians said. "... 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."

Defensive tackle Vita Vea dumped a cooler of ice water on Arians during the post-parade celebration.

At one point during the parade, quarterback Tom Brady was captured on video tossing the NFL's Lombardi trophy from his boat across the water to another boat carrying Buccaneers players. His completion to shirtless tight end Cameron Brate brought wild cheers from fans and players.

"That was the best catch of my life," Brate said. "Unbelievable. That was the best catch of my life. If I had dropped that? I think I would've had to retire."

Brady also tweeted a reaction to a video of him struggling to walk after getting off his boat.

Arians vowed to keep linebacker Lavonte David and wide receiver Chris Godwin, who are both scheduled to be free agents. Linebacker Shaq Barrett, also scheduled to become a free agent, vowed to return as well.

"We coming back -- back to back," Barrett told ESPN. "That's the plan. I'm coming back next year."

For the Tampa Bay players and the team's fans, celebrating their first Super Bowl win since 2003 was the main attraction on Wednesday.

"We just made history in all the world," said linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul. "This means so much to me, I'll do it again. We're gonna do it again."

Godwin said the team came together at the right time. After losing three of four to fall to 7-5, the Buccaneers reeled off eight straight wins to claim the championship.

Mayor Jane Castor had emphasized that people attending the parade needed to wear masks outdoors and observe social distancing rules.

It appeared many abided by the mask order but many others did not. There were also dozens of people on private boats, kayaks and other watercraft crowding the river to catch a glimpse of the team. They were directed to stay at least 50 feet from the boats carrying players.

After Tampa Bay's 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's title game, throngs of people gathered in the city's entertainment districts. Many were seen maskless despite the orders requiring them.

Brian Ford, chief operating officer of the Buccaneers, said in a video announcement that fans should heed the rules as they celebrate the team's victory.

"It's essential we do it the right way," Ford said. "We want to do our part to ensure it's done in a safe and responsible manner."

Also Wednesday, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis lashed out at the news media when he suggested there is bias in coverage of the pandemic, particularly at the Super Bowl in Tampa.

DeSantis attended the Super Bowl and was photographed at times not wearing a mask despite a requirement to do so.