As the hunt for Tom Brady’s Super Bowl LI jersey continues, the authorities have attached an official value to the item: $500,000.
That’s the number appearing on the police report posted on Twitter by James Palmer of NFL Media. And that matters for reasons beyond media coverage or hype; the value makes the crime a first degree felony under Texas law.
The number meshes with an estimate provided by Ken Goldin of Goldin Associates. As a practical matter, the item has limited value because anyone who buys it can’t display it without risk of the authorities seizing it.
Last week, Patriots owner Robert Kraft expressed confidence that the jersey would be found. During a PFT Live interview, Brady seemed surprised at that revelation.
The item remains missing, and the bigger issue could be that folks with access to NFL locker rooms have had sticky fingers for years when it comes to game-used memorabilia. Regardless of whether Brady’s jersey is found, the NFL needs to beef up its efforts to secure property that, as Brady’s jersey demonstrates, can be extremely valuable.