Serial numbers, game photos may help verify Brady jersey
League to improve viewing experience
BOSTON, March 23, (Agencies): Now that authorities believe they have recovered the jersey stolen from Tom Brady’s locker following the Patriots’ Super Bowl win last month, the next step will be determining whether it is in fact the MVP quarterback’s missing grass-stained garment. So how exactly does that happen? Old-fashioned detective work. Experts in the sports memorabilia industry, including one that has worked directly with NFL teams, say it is a tedious process that involves comparing photos and videos that captured degradation to the jersey during the game. They also compare the jersey to teamissued serial numbers and other player-specific customizations that authentic jerseys typically have.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy declined Wednesday to discuss the authentication process due to security reasons, writing in an email only “there are a number of procedures we have been using.” The FBI also has not commented on the methods it is using.
Brady’s jersey went missing from the Patriots’ locker room after their Super Bowl win over the Atlanta Falcons Feb 5, setting off an investigation that stretched from Boston to the Mexican border.
Working with US investigators, Mexican authorities obtained a warrant to search property of Martin Mauricio Ortega, a tabloid journalist who colleagues say went to the game with a media credential, but bragged he was there as a fan. Authorities recovered the jersey, along with another Brady jersey that disappeared after the 2015 Super Bowl. A helmet belonging to a Denver Broncos player — possibly Von Miller — was also discovered. Ortega quit his job
Brady
two days after the search, but has not been charged in the case and has not been located for comment.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell claims he has heard the average fan’s discontent about the pace of the game and intends to do something about it.
In an email addressed to the fans on Wednesday, Goodell wrote that the NFL will make a series of changes that will help improve “the flow and pace of the game, and commercialization and the number of necessary disruptions to the game on the field.”
NFL owners could vote next week at the league meetings on the Oakland Raiders’ proposed move to Las Vegas.
The league meetings begin Sunday in Phoenix and run through March 29. The Raiders need the approval of 24 of 32 owners to relocate to Las Vegas.
Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones will not face a felony charge in an alleged spitting incident at the Hamilton County Jail.
Jones still faces charges of assault, obstruction of official business and disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors.
The Miami Dolphins restructured linebacker Koa Misi’s contract for the 2017 season, allowing him to stay with the team, according to multiple reports.
Misi was scheduled to earn $4.1 million this season with a salarycap hit of $4.8 million.
The Jacksonville Jaguars may have found their replacement for Julius Thomas by signing fellow tight end Mychal Rivera to a contract.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team for Rivera, but Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported it’s a one-year deal with a team option for a second season.