Renzo Downey
Gov. Ron DeSantis has bet Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
DeSantis placed his side of the wager Friday in a video posted to Twitter — stone crab claws and grouper sandwiches from Frenchy’s in Clearwater Beach.
Last year, Florida hosted Super Bowl LIV at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Garden. DeSantis picked the Chiefs to win the big game then.
DeSantis is still rolling out the welcome mat for the defending champions this year, but the lifelong Bucs fan will be rooting for his favorite team. The Buccaneers will be the first team to play a Super Bowl game in their own stadium, Raymond James.
“I am a partisan on this. I’m a Bucs fan, so I am picking Tom Brady and the Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl,” DeSantis said.
In a tweet replying to DeSantis, Parsons said he and the Missouri First Lady would send DeSantis a Buy Missouri gift basket, win or lose.
“But if our (Chiefs) are Champions AGAIN, send us back proof you wore the Missouri hat,” Parsons wrote.
Frenchy’s has some of the best seafood available in Florida, the Governor declared while sitting at the restaurant’s beachside patio. If the Chiefs win, DeSantis promised to send Parsons crab claws and grouper sandwiches.
The last time DeSantis publicly wagered in a football bet, the Florida team lost. In November 2019, he took the losing side of a bet with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp that the University of Florida would beat the University of Georgia.
DeSantis took a rain check on his punishment — to go hunting feral hogs with Kemp if the Gators lost — because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Governor’s Office says DeSantis correctly chose the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl in 2019, but has yet produced evidence of that successful pick.
For Super Bowl LV this year, DeSantis is again picking the team led by former Patriot and first-year Buccaneer Quarterback Tom Brady to win the NFL championship.
“In the event we don’t, you’ll have a couple really good meals,” DeSantis said.
A Tampa Bay victory Sunday would, if you believe the Governor’s comms shop, put DeSantis three-for-three on Super Bowl picks as Governor.
Hey @GovParsonMO – how about a friendly @SuperBowl wager? You know I’m going with the @Buccaneers! #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/7Tz4FPujhy
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 5, 2021
Teresa and I will send you a @BuyMissouri basket either way, but if our @Chiefs are Champions AGAIN, send us back proof you wore the Missouri hat. 🧢 #RunItBack https://t.co/Q1t4G8Zbkf pic.twitter.com/kyYtA8Mhcj
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) February 5, 2021
Friday morning, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt bet Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody a case of KC Bier Co. beer and a slab of KC Famous Gates BBQ. Moody accepted and offered to send Schmitt Florida oranges in the event the Buccaneers lose.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis also bet grouper on Sunday’s game, with Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick wagering Jack Stack Barbecue.
