Tom Brady’s game-worn jerseys from the last two Super Bowls he helped his team win are now his to do with as he pleases, and the quarterback can thank a 19-year-old New England Patriots fan for that.
Cheryl Fiandaca of WBZ in Boston learned this week that a tip from a Patriots fan living in Seattle helped lead law enforcement officials to the home of former Mexican journalist Mauricio Ortega, who had allegedly stolen both of Brady’s jerseys. The fan, Dylan Wagner, is a sports memorabilia collector who sold Ortega a jersey on eBay last December. When the two exchanged photos of their collections, Wagner saw that Ortega had Brady’s jersey — grass stains and all — from New England’s win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
“He sent me 30 photos of his collection. Front and center was Tom Brady’s Super Bowl 49 Jersey,” Wagner explained. “I asked him outright, ‘How did you get that?’ and he says ‘I’ll tell you later.’”
Wagner shared the photos with his friend and fellow memorabilia collector, Christopher Arone, who also happens to be a Boston ATF Special Agent. There were no reports that Brady’s jersey had been stolen at the time, but Arone got back in touch with Wagner after Brady’s jersey from Super Bowl LI went missing.
“He sent me a link to an ESPN article. It stated it is not the first time a jersey was stolen from Brady and it happened after the Seahawks Super Bowl,” Wagner explained. “I couldn’t believe this guy would have the audacity to go in and steal something that someone worked so hard for.”
Arone turned the photos Wagner had of Ortega’s collection over to the FBI, and the case began coming together from there. Authorities had the now-infamous footage of Ortega removing Brady’s latest Super Bowl jersey from the locker room in Houston (watch it here), but they told Wagner they would not have been able to obtain a search warrant for Ortega’s house in Mexico without the fan’s help.
Wagner hasn’t asked for anything in return for his help in solving the case, but he would love if he could meet the man himself one day.
“I would love to meet Brady one day, hopefully,” he said. “It would be a dream come true. I’m just really glad he gets his jerseys back.”
Make it happen, Tom.
