Tom Brady’s Missing Super Bowl Jersey Prompts Investigation

Tom Brady jerseys have been among the top sellers for NFL players for most of the last year.

Tom Brady’s Super Bowl LI Jersey Has Gone Missing

Now, the jersey the New England Patriots quarterback wore in his team’s comeback Super Bowl victory in Houston on Sunday has disappeared and is being searched by Texas law enforcement. The jersey went missing shortly after Brady took it off in the locker room after Sunday night’s historic overtime 34-28 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.

“We have been looking into this disappointing matter and will continue to assist law enforcement authorities,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in an email to USA TODAY Sports.

Texas’ lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, asked the state police to assist their local counterparts in Houston find Brady’s jersey.

“In Texas we place a very high value on hospitality and football,” Patrick said in a statement on Monday. “Tom Brady’s jersey has great historical value and is already being called ‘the most valuable N.F.L. collectible ever.’ It will likely go in the Hall of Fame one day. It is important that history does not record that it was stolen in Texas.”

It remains unclear whether the jersey was misplaced or stolen; a spokesman for the Patriots declined to comment.

 The list of potential suspects in the theft of Brady’s jersey includes: teammates, coaches, family members, team/league staffers, news media members, law enforcement officials and even gate crashers.

Even though he was surely upset, the quarterback managed to joke that the jersey might turn up on an online auction site. Replica jerseys can be purchased from the NFL merchandise store for about $120, but an official game-worn one could sell for up to thousands of dollars in an auction.

“Those are special ones to keep, you know, but what can you do?” Brady asked after receiving a football-shaped trophy for being named the game’s most valuable player. “I’ll take the ring, and that’s good enough for me.”

Brady will get more than a ring. He and other members of the Patriots will also get winners’ checks for $107,000.

 Fans commented on the stolen jersey case on social media. Two fans in particular drew heads when they posted pictures on Instagram of them holding a Brady jersey at NRG Stadium after the Super Bowl, with the hashtag #stolehisjersey.

Not long after, they amended their post to say, #NOitsNOTThisSTOLENjersey.

Patrick said in a statement that he had asked the Texas Rangers to help Houston police in the jersey search.

“In Texas we place a very high value on hospitality and football,” Patrick said. “Tom Brady’s jersey has great historical value and is already being called ‘the most valuable NFL collectable ever.’

“I’ve called Colonel Steve McCraw to ask that the Texas Rangers work with the Houston Police Department on this case. Whoever took this jersey should turn it in. The Texas Rangers are on the trail.”

FOXBORO, MA – DECEMBER 04: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks to throw a pass during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium on December 4, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)