TMZ Sports - Page 50

The guy who allegedly stole 2 of Tom Brady's Super Bowl jerseys has created a big problem for anyone who may have bought stolen sports stuff from him ... if they don't turn it in, they could be prosecuted.

Mauricio Ortega is the guy suspected of entering the Patriots locker room after Super Bowl 51 and pilfering Tom's game-winning jersey. We're told, in addition to also finding Tom's Super Bowl 49 jersey and Von Miller's helmet, authorities found other items.

As for what Ortega has ... it could be a lot, because he's had access to locker rooms at Super Bowls since 2005, and possibly earlier.

Now here's the crazy part ... if authorities announce other items that were stolen, anyone who purchased them -- even in good faith -- has a legal duty to turn the items over to authorities. Law enforcement sources tell us, if the buyers don't fork over the stolen goods, they could be prosecuted for the crime of receiving stolen property.

This kind of stuff happens with high-end collectors. Remember Nic Cage, when he learned a dinosaur skull he bought for $276,000 was stolen, he was legally required to return it and took the loss.

Tom Brady's Super Bowl 49 jersey was being shopped around to a small group of wealthy collectors who were under the impression it was NOT stolen property ... and the asking price was $75k.

TMZ Sports spoke with multiple people directly connected to the situation. One potential buyer was interested in the jersey but says the seller (who was connected to Mauricio Ortega) "fell down a black hole" and it disappeared from the market about 8 months ago.

We're told Ortega has been selling various sports collectibles for years and would tell clients he obtained the items legally through relationships he built with players, coaches and staffers. He would use the selfies he took with stars like Tom Brady, Bob Kraft and Ben Roethlisberger as a way of unofficially authenticating the goods.

We know what you're thinking ... why would anyone buy a high-priced item without proper documentation?

One high-end collector put it this way ...

Ortega is credible and has had documented locker room access for more than a decade. There would be no reason to suspect he stole anything since no media outlet ever reported it was.

Plus, buyers could do home research -- looking at high resolution pics from the Super Bowl -- and self-authenticate the items based on nicks, scratches and other identifying marks on the gear.

Colin Kaepernick is back in Donald Trump's crosshairs -- the President of the United States just mocked the QB for last season's national anthem protest.

Trump referenced a report that NFL teams are refusing to pick up Kaepernick because owners are afraid of a Twitter backlash from Trump himself.

Trump didn't exactly refute the report. Instead he fired up the Kentucky crowd by saying people in the Bluegrass State don't like it when people don't stand for the anthem.

The crowd loved it.

Meanwhile, Kaepernick just helped secure an entire airplane to send food and supplies to people in need in Somalia.

NFL legend Gale Sayers has been diagnosed with dementia ... and his wife says football is to blame.

Ardythe Sayers told the Kansas City Star the 73-year-old Hall of Famer was diagnosed 4 years ago -- but still remains in excellent physical condition.

Ardythe says Gale has been treated at the Mayo Clinic and the doctors agree football is a factor.

"It wasn’t so much getting hit in the head," Ardythe said ... "It’s just the shaking of the brain when they took him down with the force they play the game in."

Daniel Jacobs says he was SHOCKED the first time he took a punch from Gennady Golovkin this weekend -- telling TMZ Sports he thought the guy would hit harder!!

GGG's power is legendary -- he's knocked out more than 20 FIGHTERS before Jacobs.

But Daniel says the power ain't all it's cracked up to be -- "It was a myth. It was a facade. It was smoke and mirrors. It wasn't what I expected."

Jacobs lost the fight in a unanimous decision -- even though some people say Jacobs looked like the better fighter.

Former MMA fighter War Machine dodged conviction for the attempted murder of his ex-gf, Christy Mack -- but was nailed on 29 other charges, including sexual assault and battery.

The jury came back deadlocked on 2 counts of attempted murder in the 2014 brutal beating of Mack and a male friend who was in her apartment the day of the attack. War Machine was found guilty though of coercion, dissuading a witness, battery by strangulation, kidnapping ... and multiple counts of sexual assault.

The fighter and his attorneys had turned down a plea deal that could have put him away for 18 to 40 years. His sentencing is scheduled for June.

The man who allegedly stole Tom Brady's Super Bowl jersey has been up close and personal with Tom, Robert Kraft and other Super Bowl stars for years ... and TMZ Sports has the photo proof.

Mauricio Ortega made a habit of snapping selfies with the big stars from the Super Bowl games he covered during his stint as the news director for La Prensa -- a Mexican media outlet.

We're told the photo with Tom Brady was taken after Super Bowl 39 in 2005. Same with Robert Kraft.

Ortega also posed with Heath Miller at Super Bowl 40, Brandon Jacobs at Super Bowl 42. He also got one with Ben Roethlisberger.

Guys, if you're missing any gear ...

Tom Brady says he's PUMPED to get his Super Bowl jerseys back -- and gave a big shout out to the cops who helped track it down.

"I am happy my jerseys from SB 49 and SB 51 have been recovered," Brady said in a statement.

"I want to thank all of the law enforcement agencies involved. I know they worked hard on this case -- and it is very much appreciated."

"Hopefully when I get the jerseys back I can make something very positive come from this experience."

Denver Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders turned 30 with a bang ... turning all the way up with Rick Ross and boxing superstar Danny Garcia at one of the hottest nightclubs in Miami.

Both guys were up in VIP (Garcia was celebrating his 29th bday) at LIV nightclub ... while Ross, Wale and Meek Mill performed for Rick's album release party.

If you like seeing Carmelo Anthony in Knicks colors, turn your head ... cause Melo was out in L.A. Sunday night chatting it up at Catch with Sam Cassell, an assistant coach for the Clippers.

The Clippers are one of Melo's most talked about potential landing spots, and rumor has it that a trade between them and the Knicks almost happened at the deadline.

Add into the equation Melo's wife, LaLa, has an exploding acting career (never hurts to be in L.A.) and the Knicks seem to be souring on Anthony in favor of Porzingis and this meeting could be HUGE.

Does the criminal craziness surrounding Tom Brady's jersey INCREASE the value? We went to the expert -- Rick Harrison from "Pawn Stars."

11:28 AM PT -- The suspect's name is Mauricio Ortega -- a former executive at a Mexican news organization called "Diario La Prensa."

According to La Prensa, Ortega resigned from his position on March 14th. The paper was unaware of the investigation into Ortega until today.

Here is video of the man suspected of stealing Tom Brady's Super Bowl jersey ... according to Ian Rappaport of NFL Network ... and it sure looks like he's got something under his arm.

Robert Kraft traveled on Air Force One ... in his Air Force 1s.

How cool is that?

The New England Patriots owner flew from West Palm Beach, FL to D.C. on POTUS' plane on Sunday.

After the flight, Kraft was transported to the South Lawn of the White House on Marine One.

The two had spent the weekend at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. No word on what they talked about.

9:02 AM PT -- Sources connected to the investigation tell us 2 Patriots jerseys and 1 Broncos helmet were recovered in Mexico.

The Broncos helmet is likely that of Von Miller, as Jay Glazer reported.

We're told no cleats have been recovered ... at least not yet.

Glazer said Miller's cleats also went M.I.A. after Super Bowl 50. Unclear if it's connected to this investigation.

The man who jacked Tom Brady's Super Bowl jerseys may have ALSO stolen Von Miller's helmet and cleats from Super Bowl 50 ... so says Jay Glazer.

Glazer appeared on "Undisputed" on FS1 and said investigators used video footage to identify the suspect in the Super Bowl 51 caper.

Glazer says investigators saw the suspect enter the locker room behind Bill Belichick and leave a short time later with something tucked under his arm.

Glazer says the suspect had a legitimate media credential -- but may not be a real journalist. He may have been running a scam.

And get this ... Glazer says the Denver Broncos believe the suspect hit Von Miller in the previous Super Bowl.

Story developing ...

The Houston PD wants to make it perfectly clear it was NFL security that had watch over the Patriots locker room ... and therefore it's NFL security who should get the blame for Tom Brady's jersey going missing.

LaVar Ball is putting way too much pressure on his kids ... and it's not fair to them -- so says NFL star Victor Cruz.

The ex-NY Giants superstar clearly understands what it takes to dominate as a pro athlete -- and believes the crazy statements LaVar's been making ain't helpin' his 3 boys.