After six weeks of investigation, Tom Brady was finally reunited with his missing Super Bowl LI jersey. The alleged suspect, Mauricio Ortega, is a member of the media and he apparently met Brady back in 2005 at Super Bowl XXXIX.
According to NFL.com, the missing Tom Brady jersey valued at $500,000 was found by the New England Patriots security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was in the possession of Mauricio Ortega, a credentialed member of the international media from Mexican news agency Diario La Prensa.
Besides the stolen Super Bowl LI Tom Brady jersey, the NFL and FBI also found Brady's Super Bowl XLIX from two years ago. A Denver Broncos helmet from Super Bowl 50 believed to be used by Von Miller's was also found in the possession of Mauricio Ortega.
Nevertheless, Tom Brady was very happy that his two stolen jerseys were recovered. He released a statement via his agent Don Yee.
"I am happy my jerseys from SB XLIX and SB LI have been recovered, and I want to thank all of the law enforcement agencies involved/ I know they worked very hard on this case and it is very much appreciated," Brady said.
However, it's not the only weird part of this case as Tom Brady met the alleged suspect years before his jerseys were stolen. According to TMZ Sports, the five-time Super Bowl champion came face-to-face and took a selfie with Mauricio Ortega in 2005.
Tom Brady was face-to-face w/ the alleged jersey thief Mauricio Ortega in '05 — yrs before SB 51. Here's the photo. https://t.co/RhkMTbF92x pic.twitter.com/E3dTXYSsIN
— michael babcock (@michaeljb1) March 20, 2017
It happened after the New England Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl XXXIX to win their third championship. The alleged suspect also took pictures with Patriots owner, chairman and CEO Robert Kraft.
Mauricio Ortega was a credentialed member of the international media from Mexico and he has been covering the Super Bowl for more than a decade. With the Tom Brady and the Patriots playing in Mexico next season, Ortega is surely not going to have access to the game.
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