Tom Brady’s missing Super Bowl jersey sparks investigation

The hunt for Tom Brady’s missing No. 12 Super Bowl LI jersey became a law-enforcement matter Monday.

Houston police said in a statement that its major offender division is working with NFL security along with other state and local agencies “to investigate theft” of the jersey, which hasn’t been seen since Brady removed it minutes after the game Sunday.

The statement came hours after Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asked Texas Rangers — the men and women with badges, not the baseball team — and Brady confirmed to reporters earlier Monday that the jersey hadn’t been located.

“Those are pretty special ones to keep, but what can you do?” Brady said.

Brady put the jersey in one of his leather bags moments after the game. He donned a Super Bowl winners T-shirt and went about fulfilling his media obligations.

When he returned to his locker about 10 or 15 minutes later, he looked through the bag, and the jersey was gone.

“It is going to be on eBay soon, I guess,” Brady said after the game.

Collector Ari Witkes said had Brady chose to sell the jersey, it’d be worth about $300,000 given all that he accomplished in it during the game: winning his fifth Super Bowl, guiding the Patriots to the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and winning his fourth Super Bowl MVP.

But those accomplishments weren’t fueled by revenge after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Brady four games because of Deflategate. At least according to Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

“I think it’s really inappropriate to suggest that, in Tom’s career, that he’s been anything other than a great teammate, a great worker and has given us every single ounce of effort, blood, sweat and tears that he has in him,” Belichick told reporters in Houston.

“To insinuate that this year is somehow different, that he competed harder or did anything to a higher degree than he ever has in the past, I think is insulting to the tremendous effort and leadership and competitiveness that he’s shown for the 17 years I’ve coached him.”

Belichick wasn’t even asked about Brady’s perceived revenge tour. He was asked whether analysts overlook Brady’s accuracy.

Contributing: Sun-Times wires