Report: Tom Brady's missing Super Bowl jersey found
FBI, NFL security locate stolen jersey 'on foreign soil'
The saga surrounding the disappearance of Tom Brady’s Super Bowl jersey has the makings of a Hollywood detective thriller, according to the Fox Sports reporter who broke the news that the $500,000 jersey was found.
NFL insider Jay Glazer said on “Fox and Friends” Tuesday that the mystery of who swiped Brady’s jersey and how it was found in Mexico was solved with some “old-school detective work” from law enforcement.
TOM BRADY'S SUPER BOWL JERSEY FOUND
“Right after the Super Bowl, the FBI, NFL security and Patriots security, they all started going through all credentials and footage – old-fashioned detective work,” he said. “Once they tracked him down, the figured out that the alleged perpetrator is down in Mexico and that alone is a wild story.”
While U.S. and Mexican officials have not named the suspect, Mexican news outlets identified him as Mauricio Ortega, the former director of La Pensa. He has not yet been charged with a crime.
Glazer said they had a lot of footage showing Ortega entering the Patriots locker room following coach Bill Belichick – “as if he is part of Belichick’s entourage.”
TOM BRADY'S STOLEN JERSEYS LINKED TO MEXICAN NEWSPAPER EXECUTIVE
Glazer said the alleged perpetrator was at the time of the Super Bowl the director of one of the biggest newspapers in Mexico, who used his credentials for years to go to the Super Bowl and swiped some of the biggest ticketed items.
“We are going to show video of him just mulling about in the locker room,” Glazer said, adding that other websites had footage going back years.
He said Ortega was found with Von Miller’s helmet from last year’s Super Bowl and another Brady jersey from three tournaments ago.
A company official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that the former director was not part of the media outlet's Super Bowl coverage.
"He got accredited on behalf of La Prensa, but he took vacations. ... He was not sent by us," the person said. "They were not even aware that (he) had gone to the Super Bowl."
The former director handed over his company phone when he resigned last Tuesday, the person said.
The jerseys are in the possession of the NFL and FBI in Boston, and law enforcement was working to authenticate them, the chief said.
"We are highly confident that these are the jerseys," Acevedo said.
Brady, in a statement from his agent, Don Yee, expressed gratitude to investigators but said he hadn't yet been reunited with the jerseys.
"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," Brady said. "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."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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