TAMPA, Florida – Tampa Mayor and devoted sports fan Jane Castor seems willing to do almost anything to secure a Super Bowl title in her hometown, jokingly telling ESPN that he will rename it right after Tom Brady if he and the Buccaneers win Sunday .
“I told him we weren’t talking about changing our city’s name until he brought home the Lombardi trophy. So Tom and I will have that discussion in due course,” Castor said. “Yes, we’ll talk about it, changing Tampa, because we’re becoming a title city in Tompa Bay. We will have those discussions. “
Brady’s reception in Tampa began when he was unceremoniously picked up from a public park during home remand orders in April. That led Castor to write Brady an open letter with a slight apology for the misunderstanding, saying, “Tom, it’s Tampa Bay. Not Tampa Brady. You win us a Super Bowl and we’ll talk about Tampa Brady. “
Beyond the “renaming” of the city, Castor promised ways for the city to honor Brady, saying, “No doubt we’ll have a day of Tom Brady.”
Beaver is also open to the idea of Buccaneers from the Devin White Foundation line – probably their best performer in the postseason – riding his Dream horse at Raymond James Stadium, which he has expressed a desire to do. . He called Daisy Mae on horseback around LSU’s Tiger Stadium “the best day of my life.”
“This is definitely an option,” Castor said. “But it’s only going to happen in one way, and that’s if I can ride a horse with Devin White. We can definitely do that … We grew up on horses, so he and I can go out and pick up that Lombardi trophy riding together. “
The Tampa sports authority, which manages Raymond James Stadium, and the buccaneers told ESPN they would discuss internally the possibility of leaving a horse at the stadium. But even if that doesn’t happen, Castor, the former Tampa police chief, said she would be happy to join White for a walk around town.
“Are you kidding me? We’ll have a patrol parade set up,” Castor said. “I was just downstairs [Tampa] Convention Center with our patrol unit mounted. Yes, of course. I just rode on the Sunday before the last one, so I know my way around a horse. And I’ll find my way around that Lombardi trophy! “
In terms of Super Bowl clothing, Castor was pleased with the area’s compliance with its executive order for mask clothing in certain outdoor areas, including the nearly 3-mile Riverwalk along the seafront in downtown Tampa. Tampa’s existing mandates did not require outdoor masks.
“These areas were determined by the idea that there would be large crowds that could not distance themselves socially,” Castor said. “And so far, I’ve seen a lot of adherence to that.”
She also echoed what Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday when he told people to avoid Super Bowl parties and “sit down and cool off.”
“We join that mantra. We want everyone to stay home and enjoy the enthusiasm of the Super Bowl and the victory of the Buccaneers in the safety of their own home,” Castor said. “But we also realize that individuals will be very excited and a lot of people will come out. So, we encourage wearing masks indoors and outdoors when you can’t distance yourself socially.
“We want everyone to have a safe and healthy Super Bowl experience. Everyone who comes to visit the city, we want to get healthy, we want to leave healthy. The only people who will be disappointed are KC fans.”