This year's Super Bowl victory parade looked a little different.
Celebrations were shifted to the water after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, to win Super Bowl LV on Sunday.
Instead of the typical winners' parade, Buccaneers players instead partied on boats on the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa.
Players — including Tom Brady, who was joined by his kids, and Rob Gronkowski — rode on various watercraft around the harbor area, clad in the team's signature bright red and white.
At one point, quarterback Brady, 43, was caught on camera tossing the coveted Lombardi Trophy over the water to longtime teammate Gronkowski, 31.
It's not the first time Gronkowski has been a little casual with the sterling silver trophy. Back in 2019, Gronkowski used he and Brady's former team the New England Patriots' Super Bowl LIII trophy as a bat before appearing at the Boston Red Sox home opener. All the goofing around left an actual dent in the trophy.
Due to the airborne transmission of COVID-19 and case spikes across the country, the CDC continually advises against gatherings of large groups and recommends six feet of distance and face coverings at all times.
Brady was named MVP for Sunday's game after leading the way for Tampa Bay's offense, helping the team earn a 31-9 victory.
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The athlete has appeared in 10 Super Bowls throughout his career and secured his seventh Super Bowl win at Super Bowl LV.
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Last year, when the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup, they celebrated with a similar boat parade. The traditional parties and gatherings were avoided due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the United States.
Unfortunately, not all revelers have taken the COVID-19 guidelines seriously since last weekend's big game. Droves of people celebrated the Buccaneers' Super Bowl win Sunday night, flouting local public health precautions.
Immediately following the game, thousands of fans swarmed the streets, celebrating in a large, mostly mask-less mob despite protocols put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
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