Last month, the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized and the news went public last week. In response, the NFL reportedly issued a security alert on Thursday warning teams that organized and skilled criminals were targeting the homes of professional athletes.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero had the news, reporting the memo sent out on Thursday "confirmed the modus operandi and offered a number of recommendations, including not posting in real time on social media, installing security systems and keeping valuables out of plain sight."
Additionally, Pelissero reports the FBI believes the robberies are part of an organized, international crime syndicate. "It's legit," a source told Pelissero. "It's a transnational crime ring, and over the last three weeks, they've focused on NBA and NFL players, and it's all over the country." The report notes Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Linval Joseph's home in Minnesota was also part of a series of burglaries last weekend.
"Multiple people with knowledge of the crimes said the perpetrators are non-confrontational and do not burglarize homes while residents are inside," Pelissero wrote. "Instead, they use public records to find players' addresses and conduct extensive surveillance. Then, by tracking team schedules and the social media accounts of players and their families, they wait until homes are empty -- often during games -- and gain access and quickly steal items such as cash, jewelry, watches and handbags, focusing mainly on master bedrooms and closets."
A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment on the story.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Issues Alert Over 'Crime Ring' Targeting Athletes After Patrick Mahomes Burglary .
