FOXBOROUGH — Tom Brady’s Super Bowl jerseys have been returned to the New England Patriots according to the FBI Thursday.
FBI Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Harold H. Shaw said in a statement:
Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Boston is pleased to return the jerseys worn by New England Patriots MVP Tom Brady during Super Bowl 49 and Super Bowl 51 to the New England Patriots and National Football League. We know how much this means to the Patriots and football fans everywhere, and we are honored to be able to bring these jerseys back to Foxboro.
The agent thanked law enforcement officials from the US and Mexico for their work on the case and said since the case is still under investigation, they would have no further comment.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement:
“It was great to have both jerseys returned to Gillette Stadium today. I don’t know that any agency could have accomplished this independently, but collectively multiple agencies – both in the U.S. and in Mexico – worked together to achieve the goal of retrieving the stolen property. It is another example of the importance of teamwork and what can be accomplished when everyone works together. We appreciate the effort of everyone involved and look forward to returning these jerseys to Tom when he gets back to New England.”
The NFL announces Monday that Tom Brady’s missing jerseys from Super Bowl LI and XLIX had been located. “The items were found in the possession of a credentialed member of the international media,” an NFL statement said.
According to the league, the jerseys were recovered through the cooperation with the NFL and New England Patriots’ security teams, the FBI and other law enforcement authorities.
In the locker room following the New England Patriots‘ win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, Brady noticed his No. 12 jersey was missing from his bag . The estimated value of the jersey is $500,000, according to a police report released in February by Houston police.
The recovery also netted the jersey Brady wore in 2015 to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, which took place at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
At a press conference Monday, Houston police Chief Art Acevedo said he anticipates that charges will be brought.
The jerseys were recovered at the home of a former newspaper editor, said Mexico‘s National Security Commission.
Mexico’s federal police and the FBI conducted a raid at the home of La Prensa director Mauricio Ortega on March 12, according to the commission. Ortega resigned two days later for “personal reasons,” the tabloid said in a statement.
Acevedo said police received a tip from an informant in Houston that led investigators to Mexico. In conjunction with FBI and Mexican authorities, they went to the suspect’s known address and found the two jerseys.
Acevedo said that while this case was not a priority, this was the “only blemish” on the Houston Police Department on the Super Bowl.
