The last two times Tom Brady played in a Super Bowl, he left the game an MVP who had no idea where his game-worn jersey ended up. This year in Minneapolis, police officers and security staffers are going to do all they can to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
Law enforcement officials who are directly involved with handling Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium told TMZ they are taking added measures this year to protect player property, especially game-worn and game-used memorabilia.
As one source put it … “One of the main goals is to keep people and property safe. We do not want a repeat of last year and we have learned lessons from other major sporting events.”
We’re told the overall security plan involves federal agencies, multiple state agencies and private security plus “surveillance everywhere.”
Brady’s jersey was infamously stolen from inside the locker room after the Patriots beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI last year. The man who took it — a member of the press — returned to Mexico and has been able to avoid legal trouble, but he has been banned from attending Super Bowls and any other NFL events for life. A surreal surveillance video that was released after the game showed the reporter, Muricio Ortega, confidently strolling into New England’s locker room and exiting with something tucked under his left arm. You can see the footage here.
When a fan helped the FBI find Ortega in Mexico, authorities discovered that he had also stolen Brady’s jersey from the Patriots’ Super Bowl win over the Seahawks two years prior. In some ways, Ortega nearly pulled off the perfect heist. Don’t expect anyone to follow his lead this year in Minnesota.
