"Brady vs. Belichick: The Verdict" documentary reveals how Patriots legend was frustrated with his stolen Super Bowl LI jersey
Super Bowl 51 was arguably the greatest moment of Tom Brady's illustrious career. The New England Patriots looked down and out after the Atlanta Falcons took a 28-3 lead in the third quarter. However, the defense locked in and shut them out the rest of the way, while the quarterback led the offense to five straight scoring drives to complete the comeback.
It was an extra special win for Brady, who was keen to lift the Lombardi Trophy and dedicate the victory to his mother, Galynn, who was battling breast cancer at the time. The Super Bowl was the first game she had attended that season, and the quarterback planned on gifting his game-worn jersey to her. However, when he got back to the locker room, he realized it had been stolen.
In Vice TV's documentary titled 'Brady vs. Belichick: The Verdict,' author Gary Myers revealed that the Patriots icon was miffed about the missing jersey. He recalled:
"I know how motivated Tom was to win it for his mother. But after the game I went into the Patriot locker room and I was standing there and all of a sudden Tom realizes his uniform top is missing."
Myers revealed that the then-Patriots superstar frantically searched for it and was upset when he couldn't find it because he wanted to give it to his mother:
"Garoppolo was right next to me. He goes, 'Jimmy. Jimmy, have you seen my jersey?' And he's calling out to all the Patriots equipment guys, 'You guys see what happened to my jersey top?' Robert Kraft came over and hugged Brady. And Brady just goes in his ear, 'Mr. Kraft, somebody stole my jersey.'.. I said, Tom. What's the big deal? It's your fifth Super Bowl victory. I'm sure you have plenty of memorabilia. Did you want to give the jersey to your Mom?… He shook his head."
Who stole Tom Brady's Super Bowl 51 jersey?
Tom Brady's stolen jersey became a major story in the aftermath of Super Bowl 51. The FBI began a probe to identify who stole it in a quest to recover it and return it to the quarterback.
Fox Sports cameras caught the perpetrator, who was later identified as Martin Mauricio Ortega, the director of the Mexican newspaper Diario La Prensa. He snuck into the locker room and put the jersey into his bag before exiting NRG Stadium.
A joint effort from the Houston Police Department, the FBI, and Mexican law enforcement agencies ensured that the quarterback got his prized possession back.