Break-in at Jaylen Brown’s mother’s Wellesley home latest in string of burglaries targeting pro athletes. Here’s what we know.
The NFL and NBA earlier this season warned teams and athletes about a threat of burglary groups targeting professional athletes.
Celtics star Jaylen Brown was excused from Tuesday’s practice because his mother’s house in Wellesley was broken into Sunday with his mother and nephew in the home.
It did not appear anything had been disturbed inside the residence nor did it appear anything was taken, and there were no injuries.
The incident is the latest in a series of break-ins at the homes of professional athletes.
The NFL and NBA earlier this season warned teams and athletes about a threat of burglary groups targeting professional athletes following a string of break-ins at the homes of Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Bucks forward Bobby Portis, and Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. The home of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow also was broken into in December.
The NFL sent a memo in November to the league’s security branch, saying the FBI is working with local agencies to determine whether the recent burglaries are connected to a transnational crime syndicate.
“The homes of professional athletes across multiple sports leagues have become increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups,” the memo read, according to The Athletic. “Law enforcement officials have noted these groups appear to exploit team schedules to target athletes’ homes on game days.”
The memo outlined how burglary groups appear to be gathering information on their targets prior to break-ins, including extensive surveillance, media reports, social media, and public records. The memo also included recommendations to help athletes try to prevent similar attacks by limiting social media use and installing and arming security systems.
The NBA sent a similar memo in November following burglaries at the homes of Portis and Conley.
The memo said the NBA received an FBI briefing that connected many burglaries of athletes’ and high-net-worth peoples’ homes to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal-jamming devices.”
The memo said the thieves “are primarily focused on cash and items that can be resold on the black market, such as jewelry, watches, and luxury bags.”
According to that memo, most of the homes that were broken into were equipped with alarm systems that were not activated.
What we know about the break-in at Jaylen Brown’s mother’s home
Brown was excused from practice Tuesday after mother’s house in Wellesley was broken into Sunday, with his mother and nephew in the home. According to an NBA source, there also was a break-in at the Newton home of a Celtics assistant coach. The coach’s 2024 championship ring was stolen.
Brown’s family is safe, and he was working out Wednesday when the media was allowed into practice at the Auerbach Center.
In a statement, the Celtics said, “The safety of Celtics players, families, and staff is of the utmost importance to us. We are aware of the recent incidents and are working with authorities. The team will have no further comment at this time.”
NBA security is also involved.
What we know about other NBA and NFL burglaries
The home of Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow was broken into on Dec. 9 while the Bengals were on the road to face the Dallas Cowboys in a “Monday Night Football” game.
No one was injured, but the home was ransacked, according to a report from the Hamilton County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office.
Before answering questions during his regular midweek news conference last Wednesday, Burrow issued a statement addressing the burglary.
“I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one, and way more is already out there than I would want out there and that I care to share,” Burrow said.
The burglary was at the center of public discourse for a number of reasons, including because the break-in was reported to police by model Olivia Ponton, who contacted police after she saw a shattered bedroom window upon arriving at Burrow’s home.
Burrow has historically gone to great lengths to keep his personal life private.
“We live a public life,” he said. “One of my least favorite parts of that is the lack of privacy, and that has been difficult for me to deal with my entire career.”
The Kansas City-area homes of Mahomes and Kelce were burglarized in October.
Officers responded to a reported burglary shortly after midnight on Oct. 6 at Mahomes’s home in Belton, Mo., according to a police report from the Cass County (Mo.) Sheriff’s Office.
The next day, when the Chiefs were playing the Saints at Arrowhead Stadium, police responded to a report of a burglary around 7:30 p.m. at a home in Leawood, Kan., reported to belong to Kelce. The police report indicated $20,000 in cash was stolen and $1,000 worth of damage was done to a rear door.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating, it’s disappointing,” Mahomes said in November. “I can’t get into too many of the details because the investigation is still ongoing, but [it’s] obviously something that you don’t want to happen to really anybody, but obviously yourself.”
Conley’s home was broken into Sept. 15 while he was at a Minnesota Vikings game, and jewelry was taken, officials told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Portis said his home was broken into while he was playing a game Nov. 2, and he offered a $40,000 reward for information related to the incident.
“They took most of my prized possessions,” he said.
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