Daughter of Tiffany silversmith who designed the Lombardi Trophy demands Tom Brady apologize for throwing it during wild Super Bowl celebrations because he 'insulted' her family's legacy
The daughter of the silversmith who made the first Vince Lombardi Trophy has demanded an apology from Tom Brady, after the star threw this year's version from a yacht while celebrating winning his seventh Super Bowl.
Brady and his Buccaneer teammates enjoyed a flotilla parade in Florida Wednesday to celebrate his record seventh Super Bowl win in Miami.
And the star quarterback was caught on video tossing the Lombardi Trophy from his $2 million boat into a crowd of other players, who were stood on another vessel, as the boats made their way down the Hillsborough River.
But he was blasted on Saturday by Lorraine Grohs, whose father Greg Grohs crafted the first Lombardi Trophy when he was the master silversmith at Tiffany and Company from 1967 to 1994.
The 22-inch tall sterling silver statue was first presented to the Green Bay Packers after they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs to win Super Bowl I in 1967.
Lorraine said it insulted her family's legacy when Brady threw the trophy, WFTX reported.
Lorraine Grohs said it insulted her family's legacy when Brady, 43, threw the trophy first made by her father
Brady tossed the $10,000 trophy to tight end Cameron Brate during the team's boat parade
Brate called it the 'best catch of his life' after grabbing the drunken pass while the team celebrated its Super Bowl win
'It takes a lot of work, a lot of hard work. A lot of hours go into it. It just really upset me that this trophy was disgraced and disrespected by being thrown as if it was a real football,' she said.
NBC Sports' Chris Simms, a former Buccaneer, reported that the area of the Hillsborough River where the team celebrated its win is 80 feet deep.
The Buccaneers quarterback threw the trophy from his boat to tight ends Cameron Brate and Rob Gronkowski across a wide gap during the team's Super Bowl boat parade this week.
'That was the best catch of my life. Unbelievable. That was the best catch of my life. If I had dropped that? I think I would've had to retire,' Brate said afterwards, The Spun reported.
Greg Grohs, pictured, crafted the first Lombardi Trophy while he was the master silversmith at Tiffany and Company
Brady holds the Lombardi Trophy after arriving at Port Tampa Bay to celebrate after a boat parade on Wednesday
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady holds the Lombardi Trophy as he celebrates their win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV
Grohs has demanded an apology from Brady after a viral video showed him throwing this year's version of the trophy her father designed
Grohs said 'it's such an honor' to be a part of the trophy's history as she ripped Brady for disrespecting the hard work of the craftsmen who made it.
'I have a big history of this trophy being made by my father and it's such an honor and I know all the craftsmen that made it when my dad was there also at Tiffany's and it takes a lot of hard work,' Grohs said.
Grohs said she 'didn’t sleep for the past two nights' after seeing the viral video, as she described 'the passion that goes into this trophy.'
'I've seen this trophy being made at the factory at Tiffany's and it's a beautiful trophy. My father had to chisel the seams, he had to chisel the seams by hand,' Grohs said.
She added: 'I personally would like an apology, not just to me and my family and the other silversmiths but to the fans, all the football fans the other team players.'
The trophy is worth more than $10,000, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
It was commissioned in 1966 by late NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle and designed by former Tiffany and Company vice president Oscar Riedner.
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