Tom Brady’s stolen jersey from this year’s Super Bowl has been recovered after being found in the possession of a member of the international media, according to the NFL.The jerseys were found in Mexico and currently are being authenticated by authorities, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said.
The Mexican Editorial Organization (OEM), a major newspaper publishing company, has identified the man allegedly involved in the case as Martin Mauricio Ortega, who was a director of one of its newspapers, Diario La Prensa, until he resigned last Tuesday.
OEM announced in a statement Monday that it accepted Ortega’s resignation, citing his previous mentions of family health issues, and said it had no previous knowledge of his alleged involvement in the case.
A law enforcement source told ESPN that authorities used footage from Fox, which showed Ortega entering the locker room and, with his back to the camera, reaching into Brady’s bag and putting the jersey into a black plastic bag and leaving.
Authorities went over approximately 20,000 credentials, and eventually settled on Ortega as a person of interest, leading to Monday’s announcement. A source also told ESPN that authorities found stickers inside the helmet — one each for the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps — which led them to believe it belonged to Miller.
“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. I know they worked hard on this case — and it is very much appreciated. Hopefully when I get the jerseys back I can make something very positive come from this experience,” Brady said in a statement released via his agent, Don Yee.
Acevedo noted during a news conference Monday that the jerseys are in the possession of the FBI in Boston, and law enforcement was working to authenticate them.
Acevedo mentioned a “suspect” in the case but did not say whether anyone was in police custody. He also tweeted about the recovery of the jerseys.The Houston police classified the alleged theft of Brady’s Super Bowl LI jersey as a first-degree felony.
First seen on ESPN
