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The jerseys worn by Patriots star Tom Brady during two Super Bowl wins have been returned to New England after being found in the possession of a member of the media who had credentials to be at this year's game.
Shortly after this year's stunning comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, Patriots quarter-back Brady was heard telling team owner Robert Kraft "someone stole my damn jersey".
It was later revealed that the number 12 strip from the Patriots' last-minute win over Seattle in 2015's Super Bowl XLIX had also gone missing.
The jerseys were found in Mexico "in the possession of a credentialed member of the international media" who was at the game in Houston in early February, according to the NFL.
Video was shown on Fox Sports earlier in the week purportedly showing how Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos lingered around the celebrations and the locker room before making off with the memorabilia.
Ortega stepped down as director of Mexican newspaper La Prensa in mid-March, citing personal reasons.
The paper released a statement saying it had learned of Camberos' alleged role in the theft "with surprise and disappointment", and only after his resignation.
"In case of being true, La Prensa fully condemns the behaviour of Martin Mauricio Ortega Camberos who took advantage of his position and used La Prensa to obtain a media credential to access the field, press conferences and other areas of the NRG Stadium," the statement read.
The recovery was a joint effort between the FBI and local authorities, along with the help of the team and NFL security.
"I don't know that any agency could have accomplished this independently, but collectively multiple agencies — both in the US and in Mexico — worked together to achieve the goal of retrieving the stolen property," Kraft wrote in a team statement.
"It is another example of the importance of teamwork and what can be accomplished when everyone works together.
"We appreciate the effort of everyone involved and look forward to returning these jerseys to Tom when he gets back to New England."
Harold H Shaw, the FBI agent in charge in Boston, said the agency was "honoured" to have returned the jerseys to Foxboro.
"We know how much this means to the Patriots and football fans everywhere," Shaw said.
Meanwhile, Houston's police chief celebrated in typical Texas style as the jerseys were recovered.
"You don't come to Texas and embarrass us here on our own turf," Art Acevedo told reporters.
Topics: american-football, crime, sport, united-states, mexico
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