The FBI Boston Division called it “truly a collaborative effort.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft said it was “another example of the importance of teamwork and what can be accomplished when everyone works together.”
The Houston mayor is saying, well, something else.
Sylvester Turner expressed pride in his local police force Friday for the department’s role in two stolen Tom Brady Super Bowl jerseys being recovered this week in Mexico. And he took it a step further, saying that Houston police was the real MVP to an international joint operation.
“I’m very proud of the Houston Police Department,” Turner said via Fox 26 Houston Sports Director Mark Berman. “And to be honest with you, it was the Houston Police Department that did the legwork, that found that jersey. A lot of other people are taking credit for it, but the reality is it was the Houston Police Department, the law enforcement community right here, that ... found the jerseys and made that happen.”
It is unclear where, along the way, Turner felt his local authorities were slighted.
In his Thursday statement, Kraft mentioned “many different local agencies” being involved in the process along with skepticism that any one of the involved agencies could’ve accomplished the feat alone. The Houston Police Department was included by name when the FBI Boston Division released a statement earlier this week.
“We want to thank our FBI field offices in Chicago, Phoenix, and Houston; the United States Attorney’s Offices in the District of Connecticut, the Southern District of Texas, and the District of Arizona; and our FBI Mexico City Legal Attaché,” the statement read. “We would also like to thank our law enforcement partners in Mexico, in particular, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office, for their invaluable assistance in resolving this matter. Assistance was also provided by the security teams from the NFL and the New England Patriots, the Massachusetts State Police, and Houston Police Department.”
Apparently, the best was saved for last.