The NFL announced that Tom Brady’s stolen jerseys from Super Bowl XLIX and Super Bowl LI had been retrieved following an investigation spearheaded by the FBI. The stolen items were found in Mexico, in the possession of a member of an international media.
“I am happy my jerseys from SB 49 and SB 51 have been recovered, and I want to thank all of the law enforcement agencies involved,” Tom Brady said in a released statement. “I know they worked hard on this case – and it is very much appreciated.” As reported by ESPN, the Mexican Editorial Organization (OEM) has identified the man suspected of being involved in the case – a certain Martin Mauricio Ortega, a director of one of OEM’s newspapers – Diario La Prensa.
According to the report, authorities used footage from Fox, which showed Ortega entering the New England Patriots’ locker room, before reaching inside Tom Brady’s bag and taking the jersey. The jersey is estimated to be valued at $500,000. Apart from the jerseys, authorities also recovered a Denver Broncos helmet, which is believed to be Von Miller’s helmet from Super Bowl L.
Meanwhile, Yahoo Sports reports that following the successful recovery of the stolen items, the NFL is now looking to address the security breaches that occurred over the last three Super Bowls. According to the report, two other recent Super Bowl teams are conducting reviews to see if any items, like Tom Brady’s jerseys, were stolen from them as well. According to league spokesman Brian McCarthy, so far, no Super Bowl teams outside of the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos have notified the NFL of other stolen items.
McCarthy said that the NFL has no plans to ban offending media outlets, but would take the latest incident into account for the league’s annual security evaluations. According to Diario Le Prensa, the suspect, Mauricio Ortega, resigned last week.
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