Mystery of Tom Brady’s Missing Jersey Is Over

One of the more surprising stories to come out of the stunning victory of the New England Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons in last month’s Super Bowl was the mystery surrounding quarterback Tom Brady’s jersey.

The winning game jersey went missing on Feb. 5 after the game. “Someone stole my game jersey,” Brady told Robert Kraft, principal owner of the Patriots, as the cameras rolled. Some valued the jersey at half a million dollars or more.

Now, the missing piece of sports memorabilia has been recovered after an investigation by both the FBI and the NFL. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports tweeted the breaking news on Monday morning.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy released a statement — and revealed that more than just the jersey was found in the possession of “a credentialed member of the international media.”

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“Through the cooperation of the NFL and New England Patriots’ security teams, the FBI and other law enforcement authorities, the Super Bowl LI jersey worn last month by MVP Tom Brady has been recovered. Also retrieved during the ongoing investigation was the jersey Brady wore in the Patriots’ victory in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks in 2015.”

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo announced in a Monday tweet that both jerseys were found in Mexico. TMZ has reported that the suspect’s name is Mauricio Ortega, a former executive for the news organization Diario La Prensa.

In a statement, Brady thanked police. “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.”

He added, “Hopefully when I get the jerseys back I can make something very positive come from this experience.”

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The mystery of the missing Brady jersey was a trending social media phenomenon after the Super Bowl, with even Brady jumping in and posting a “suspect board” to his Facebook and Instagram accounts.

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