Two Missing Tom Brady Super Bowl Jerseys Found In Mexico

Tom Brady’s missing jersey from Super Bowl LI has been found in Mexico, as well as the jersey the New England Patriots quarterback wore for the national championship game in 2015, Houston police chief Art Acevedo told reporters on Monday.

Tom Brady’s Stolen Super Bowl LI and XLIX Jerseys Found in Mexico

Acevedo confirmed the first jersey, which was reported stolen following Super Bowl LI in Houston in February, was retrieved in Mexico thanks to help from the FBI and Mexican authorities, as was the jersey from Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona.

The NFL said in a statement that investigation from league security, the FBI, and Texas law enforcement officials located the jerseys in the possession of a “credentialed member of the international media.” Acevedo said police are now attempting to authenticate the jerseys, which are “in the hands of the NFL and FBI” in Boston.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport identified the suspect of the stolen jerseys as Mauricio Ortega.

Meanwhile, Fox Sports 1’s Jay Glazer obtained security footage from just after Super Bowl LI, when a man entered the Patriots locker room with players and exited with a bag under his arm. Glazer said authorities were using this video as part of the case:

Brady’s Super Bowl LI jersey was valued at approximately $500,000. Game-used Brady jerseys from regular season games have been sold in the $50,000 range.

The NFL also reached out to the Denver Broncos regarding a recovered helmet that might belong to linebacker and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller. 

“We have been in contact with NFL security regarding a Denver Broncos helmet that could potentially belong to Von Miller,” the Broncos said in a statement. “As it is an ongoing investigation, we will refer all additional questions and inquiries to the NFL.”

Acevedo said recovering the jersey was “not the highest priority” of his department.

“I told them not to burn the midnight oil,”  Acevedo said. “If it was that important (to the NFL), you’d have better security measures inside the locker room. By the same token, it’s Texas. We have a lot of organizational pride. Our mayor and our (city) council put a lot of effort in welcoming the world to the city of Houston. The only blemish was the theft from the locker room.”

Approximately 5,700 members of the media received credentials for Super Bowl LI, including several hundred from Mexico, where the NFL is attempting to expand a fan base. The Oakland Raiders will play the Patriots in Mexico City next season, and the Raiders and the Houston Texans played there in November, at Estadio Azteca, in what was the second regular-season N.F.L. game there.

Soon after the conclusion of the Patriots’ stunning, come-from-behind Super Bowl LI victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Houston of Feb. 5, Brady was seen on camera complaining that his jersey, which he said he had placed in a bag, was gone.

In the end, however, the quarterback appeared to brush off the fact his jersey was stolen.

“Those are special ones to keep, you know, but what can you do,” he said 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.”

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)