Established sports journalists in Mexico are furious after an investigation revealed that a director of a Mexican newspaper stole the jersey worn by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLIX.
Many reporters now fear the NFL will place restrictions on Mexican journalists after Maurico Ortega, who had media credentials for La Prensa newspaper to cover the Super Bowl, helped himself to various items from the locker rooms at the end of the game.
Brady’s jersey was eventually located at the home of Ortega’s daughter after she boasted about it on social media. Other items found there suggested the fake reporter wasn’t a novice at locker room larceny. Also stashed away was the helmet used by Denver Broncos’ MVP linebacker Von Miller in last year’s Super Bowl,
Tom Brady
Ortega voluntarily returned the jersey to Brady after the Patriots’ star promised not to press charges as long as he got it back. In its report of the theft, the Houston Police Department had assigned a value of US$500,000 to the jersey.
Ortega also admitted that he had no intention of working as a correspondent at the Super Bowl and only used his influence as a non-editorial director of La Prensa to obtain accreditation. He subsequently resigned as a director of the newspaper.
La Prensa is a tabloid newspaper sold mostly in Mexico City with low circulation figures compared to most dailies in the capital.
According to some reports, Ortega’s visa to travel to the United States has been revoked. It seems unlikely that U.S. law enforcement will press charges without Brady’s cooperation.