Superbowl MVP and Tom Brady reckons that his jersey was nicked after the New England Patriots 34-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Brady says he put the jersey in his locker after the game, but that it wasn’t there when he returned to check on it. Which is a bit of a hit, considering that it’s a highly desirable piece of memorabilia and is valued at as much as AUD$650,000.
“The jersey, I put it in my bag and I came out and it wasn’t there anymore,” Brady told reporters on Monday at a press conference for the Super Bowl LI MVP. “It’s unfortunate because that’s a nice piece of memorabilia. If it ends up on eBay, let me know.”
Brady’s jersey needs to be located quickly so it can be verified it’s the one he wore on Sunday night at the game – if they can’t, its value will very quickly plummet to zero. Obviously, whoever pilfered it can’t exactly sell it openly right now given that just about everyone knows it is stolen.
“It was right here. I know exactly where I put it,” Brady said Sunday, moments after seeing the jersey was gone. “This is not good … It was right here and now I don’t have it. Not good.”
Some US media outlets on Sunday erroneously reported that the jersey had likely been taken by Patriots staff for safekeeping after the big game. It seems that isn’t the case.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said he’d notified the Texas Rangers, who were looking for the jersey alongside the Houston Police:
Tom Brady’s jersey has great historical value and is already being called ‘the most valuable NFL collectible ever. It will likely go into the Hall of Fame one day. It is important that history does not record that it was stolen in Texas. I’ve called Colonel Steve McCraw to ask that the Texas Rangers work with the Houston Police Department on this case.
Brady’s obviously keen to see it back in his hands. “If it shows up on eBay somewhere, someone let me know,” he said.
Source: ABC.
Photo: Getty Images / Bob Levey.
