Now that authorities believe they have recovered the jersey stolen from Tom Brady's locker after the New England Patriots' Super Bowl victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Feb. 5, the next step will be determining whether it is, in fact, the MVP quarterback's missing grass-stained garment.
How exactly does that happen?
Old-fashioned detective work.
Experts in the sports memorabilia industry, including one who 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 team-issued serial numbers and other player-specific customizations that authentic jerseys typically have.
"Every jersey is like a fingerprint. No two jerseys are alike," Barry Meisel, president of the MeiGroup, which has authenticated game-worn sports memorabilia since 1997, told The Associated Press. "They're hand-stitched, full of dirt, mud, helmet stains, turf skids and burns. When you look at a jersey after a game, it's unique."
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy declined Wednesday to discuss the authentication process due to security reasons, writing in an email, "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 victory, setting off an investigation that stretched from Boston to the Mexican border.
Working with U.S. 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 Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015. A helmet belonging to a Denver Broncos player -- possibly Von Miller -- was also discovered. Ortega quit his job two days after the search, but has not been charged in the case and has not been located for comment.
MeiGroup has authenticated jerseys for the NBA, NHL, USA Hockey and the NFL's Redskins and Chargers.
Crazy train
Calgary Flames Coach Glen Gulutzan used a train ride to get his team back on track in January after four consecutive losses.
"I gave the guys some beer," Gulutzan told The Associated Press. "We told the guys to take the headphones off and sit together and figure this thing out."
Riding the rails for two hours from Montreal to Ottawa gave the Flames a chance to essentially save their season. The Flames (41-28-4) have won 17 of 22 games since and went from on the bubble of reaching the NHL playoffs to a team that suggests it will give opponents fits when the playoffs begin in three weeks.
Alberta is actually home to two of the hottest teams in the NHL: A three-hour drive to the north in Edmonton, the rival Oilers are rolling, too. The province will almost certainly have two playoff teams for the first time since 2006 with the Oilers poised to end their 10-year postseason drought and the Flames set to make it for the second time in eight seasons.
"The rivalry is there [and] obviously it's gotten better this season because our teams are finally starting to win some hockey games," Oilers forward Matt Hendricks said. "Hearing the stories of the past and how great it was, the excitement level in Edmonton right now with hopefully playoffs right around the corner for our club, it would be very, very exciting."
Sports on 03/23/2017