I know it’s a low-key flex for a normie to bag a professional athlete, but an organized group of criminals is taking the sentiment to a whole new level. Joe Burrow is the most recent NFL player in a growing list of ballers and shot callers to be targeted by a crime ring that is bringing back The Bling Ring like it’s 2008. The cost of living crisis is bumming me out as much as the next not-millionaire, but showing up at the home of any dude who weighs no less than 200 pounds and hits people for a living seems like one of the riskier ways to make a quick buck, no? Still, the string of burglaries carefully planned around when players are busy on the field during gameday has been on an uptick since November 2024. Let’s unpack the targeted robberies against NFL players and pro athletes before Sofia Coppola gets that chance, shall we?
Which players have been robbed in the NFL robbery ring?
So far, from the NFL, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals were recent victims of the robbery ring, two of which happened during Monday Night Football. On the NBA side, Mike Conley Jr. of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff revealed that he feels he might have been targeted by the same group, or a group with the same “violating” MO, during a game he played as a rookie in the year back in 2016. He shared that since the incident, which was publicized, he always has someone staying at his home when he has games on the road.
Who is robbing the NFL players?
In the NBA’s official security statement on the matter to players, they claimed that the FBI warned them the thieves could be a part of “transnational South American theft groups.” These groups are alleged to employ the highest tech criminal tools out there to break into “high profile individuals” homes, like “surveillance, drones, [and] signal-jamming devices.” It doesn’t help that social media puts celebrity athletes’ movements (and wealth) out there for the world to see. Also, most of the homes robbed didn’t have their alarms activated, though I’m sure that’ll change across leagues nationwide over the holiday season. These criminals are also referred to as “burglary tourists” who are able to get into the country on visas with the secret intention of stealing priceless items like Travis Kelce’s first Superbowl jersey.
