Brady’s Super Bowl jerseys returned to Pats
Quarterback’s stolen Super Bowl shirts recovered from Mexican journalist Ortega’s property
>> BOSTON: Tom Brady’s stolen Super Bowl jerseys are back with the New England Patriots.
The jerseys worn by Brady during this year’s Super Bowl and the 2015 Super Bowl were returned to Gillette Stadium on Thursday, the FBI announced.
Brady’s 2017 jersey went missing from the Patriots’ locker room after the team’s win over the Atlanta Falcons on Feb 5, touching off an investigation stretching from Boston to the Mexican border.
Mexican authorities searched the property of Mexican media executive Martin Mauricio Ortega, where they found the jersey, along with a Brady jersey that disappeared after the 2015 Super Bowl. A Denver Broncos helmet also was found.
Ortega has not been charged in the case and has not commented. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment on the investigation.
In a statement on Thursday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he looks forward to giving the jerseys to Brady when he returns to New England.
Kraft thanked the FBI, Mexican authorities and other law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.
“It is another example of the importance of teamwork and what can be accomplished when everyone works together,” Kraft said.
The FBI released a photo of the jerseys being held by Harold Shaw, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, and Col Richard McKeon of the Massachusetts State Police. Kraft is standing between the two jersey sand behind the Patriots’ five Super Bowl trophies.
“We know how much this means to the Patriots and football fans everywhere, and we are honoured to be able to bring these jerseys back to Foxboro,” Shaw said.
Colleagues of Ortega said he went to this year’s Super Bowl in Houston as a working journalist but spent the week collecting selfies and autographs from football players. Ortega quit his job as director of the tabloid La Prensa earlier on March 14, two days after Brady’s jerseys were found.
WHITE HOUSE INVITATION
The White House says the New England Patriots will visit next month.
Spokesman Sean Spicer said on Thursday that the 2017 Super Bowl champions will stop by the White House on April 19.
Patriots owner Kraft joined President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One last week, although it’s unclear if the visit was discussed.
A number of players said they will boycott a White House visit.
Trump responded to the planned boycott by some players even before a visit was officially announced. He told Fox News, “They’re taking a lot of heat. But you know what? They’re also getting a lot of popularity out of it.”
Spicer, a native of Rhode Island, said he was “proud” to make the announcement.