Brady jerseys back with White House-bound Patriots

Tom Brady’s stolen Super Bowl jerseys are back with the NFL’s New England Patriots, who will make their fifth visit to the White House next month, officials said Thursday.

The FBI announced that jerseys worn by Brady in New England’s 2015 and 2017 Super Bowl triumphs and recovered earlier this month were delivered to the team’s headquarters in Gillette Stadium.

Brady discovered his jersey missing in the locker room shortly after leading New England to the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history to defeat Atlanta in overtime in January.

An investigation led to the recovery of both jerseys in Mexico on the property of international media member Martin Mauricio Ortega. The Mexican authorities also found a 2016 Super Bowl helmet allegedly belonging to Denver Broncos linebacker Van Miller.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the jerseys will be given to Brady when he returns to New England.

“It was great to have both jerseys returned,” he said. “I don’t know that any agency could have accomplished this independently, but collectively multiple agencies – both in the US and in Mexico – worked together to achieve the goal of retrieving the stolen property.”

“It is another example of the importance of teamwork and what can be accomplished when everyone works together,” he added. “We appreciate the effort of everyone involved and look forward to returning these jerseys to Tom when he gets back to New England.”

The Patriots will visit President Donald Trump on April 19, White House officials said Thursday. The Patriots met George W. Bush and Barack Obama during prior visits.

While Brady, Kraft and coach Bill Belichick have supported Trump, not every member of the Patriots feels that way.

Tight end Martellus Bennett, now with the Green Bay Packers, joined running back LeGarrette Blount, defensive tackle Alan Branch, linebacker Don’t’a Hightower, defensive end Chris Long and defensive back Devin McCourty in stating they will not make the trip to Washington for either political or personal reasons.

Brady has said he is a friend of Trump’s while Belichick sent the real estate billionaire a congratulatory letter in the last days of his campaign and Kraft attended a campaign donor dinner with the president after his election.