Tom Brady's Super Bowl Jerseys Found In Possession Of Media Member
HOUSTON (CBSNewYork) -- The case of Tom Brady's missing Super Bowl jersey appears to have been solved.
The NFL released a statement Monday morning saying the jersey the superstar quarterback wore in the come-from-behind win over the Falcons last month in Houston has been found.
"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," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. "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.
"The items were found in the possession of a credentialed member of the international media. Due to the ongoing investigation, we would refer any additional questions to the FBI."
Houston police Chief Art Acevedo told KRIV-TV in Houston that the suspect is in Mexico and is expected to face federal charges. League officials told The New York Times the suspect is Mauricio Ortega, who is the editor of La Prensa, a daily newspaper in Mexico City.
Acevedo credited his own department's criminal intelligence division, the FBI and Mexican authorities for recovering the jersey. Fox Sports broadcast a video that it said showed Ortega leaving the lockerroom with something tucked under his arm.
Shortly after Brady and his Patriots beat the Falcons 34-28 in Super Bowl LI, the New England quarterback noticed his No. 12 game jersey had gone missing.
"If it shows up on eBay somewhere, someone let me know," Brady told reporters the following morning at his Super Bowl MVP news conference.
"Those are pretty special ones to keep, you know," he said. "But what can you do? I'll take the ring, and that's good enough for me."
Brady told a Patriots equipment manager the night of the game that he remembered placing it in his locker, adding that "someone stole it."
Ken Goldin, who owns Goldin auction house in New Jersey, estimates the jersey could fetch as much as $500,000 on the open market.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
