With five sparkling Vince Lombardi Trophies in their grasp, a contingent of the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots took the stage at the Dunkin' Donuts Center Tuesday afternoon, adding a Providence stop to the victory parade that had already brought the team through Boston.

With five sparkling Vince Lombardi Trophies in their grasp, a contingent of the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots took the stage at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center Tuesday afternoon, adding a Providence stop to the victory parade that had already brought the team through Boston.

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A crowd of Rhode Islanders, some of them nearly swooning, erupted in wild adulation as the champs took the stage, accompanied by Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Garbed in their blue home jerseys and thrusting Lombardi Trophies skyward were Trey Flowers, Rob Ninkovich, Joe Thuney, James Develin and David Andrews.

Kraft took the microphone, talked about Rhode Island’s importance as a fan base, threw in a little history and then got to an important topic.

GOATs. That’s an acronym for Greatest of All Time.

“We know we have the GOAT of the players in our quarterback Tom Brady,” said Kraft. “And we know we have the GOAT of coaches in Bill Belichick, but what our team understands is that we have a GOAT of tight ends.”

At that, a sixth Patriot, an injured tight end but healthy showman, Rob Gronkowski, made his entrance to the gathering to wild cheers, proudly wearing his No. 87 jersey. Then, to even more cheers, he took a shot at holding all five of the Patriots’ Lombardi Trophies at once, stopping at four after nearly fumbling one.

“I thought Boston was crazy today,” said Gronkowski, who thrilled fans when he took off his jersey and tossed it into the crowd. “Providence is just as crazy, baby!”

Gronkowski, who was not able to play in the Super Bowl, praised each of his teammates on the stage, including a certain defensive lineman who was in on three sacks of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on Sunday.

“We gave Matt Ryan a present, and it was Trey Flowers,” Gronkowski quipped.

Patriots fullback James Develin, a Brown alum, noticed a group of young men in Brown football jerseys.

“I’ve got to hand it over to my guys over here,” Develin said.

“I still live in Rhode Island,” he added. “I love our Rhode Island fans. It’s an honor to play for you guys. Thank you so much for coming here and thank you so much for your support. ... We love you, Lombardi.”

Said center David Andrews: “Thank you all for the support. The best fans in the nation. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

The crowd, which had taken about half of the arena’s seats and occupied about 80 percent of the standing area on the floor, had waited patiently, and with class, for the players and the gleaming trophies, which are made in Rhode Island.

Lyndsey Deane, 23, of Johnston, and 28-year-old Lisa Vongratsavay, of Providence, found floor space near a media area and relived Sunday’s championship with the rest of the crowd as replays from the Patriots’ come-from-behind victory played on a video scoreboard.

The Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28, in the first-ever overtime game in Super Bowl history.

Nearby, 5-year-old Samayah Silva and 10-year-old Yovannie Perez, waited with their mother Vanessa Tapia, who had plucked them out of school.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said Tapia, of East Providence, a certified nursing assistant. “... Especially at their age, they will remember it forever.”

The event was the product of some texts that Gov. Gina Raimondo sent to Patriots President Jonathan Kraft on Monday morning. Raimondo and Kraft are friends, said Raimondo spokesman David Ortiz.

State officials had initially suggested holding the rally at the Rhode Island Convention Center, but it wasn’t available.

Dunkin' Donuts, the company, was expected to bear the costs of the rally, according to the governor's office.

As part of its naming-rights deal, the coffee-and-doughnut chain has rights for $50,000 worth of special events at the arena. The company decided on short notice to apply that toward the Patriots rally.

Calling in staff and putting a floor down over the ice costs around $3,000, Dunkin' Donuts Center general manager Larry Lepore said.

Meanwhile, Providence police and the Rhode Island State Police contributed some officers and troopers, who were already on duty to watch the event, Lepore said. The Providence police said they added a sergeant, four patrol officers and two officers on bicycles on city-paid overtime to work the celebration.

— With reports from Amanda Milkovits and Patrick Anderson

— reynold@providencejournal.com

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