The jersey worn by Tom Brady during his epic Super Bowl performance was feared stolen from the New England Patriots locker room, US media reports said early Monday. Brady’s No.12 shirt vanished in the chaotic aftermath of the Patriots’ comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons.
NFL.com posted a locker room video of Brady informing Patriots team owner Robert Kraft that “someone stole my game jersey.” Kraft suggests that the shirt might end up on an Internet auction site. “You’d better look online,” Kraft is heard to say.
USA Today reported that Brady searched for the shirt without success following the dramatic 34-28 overtime win. “It was right here. I know exactly where I put it,” Brady said of the jersey’s last known whereabouts. However, one local television channel said a Patriots equipment manager had secured the shirt safely following Brady’s record-breaking display.
Brady smashed a host of Super Bowl records on Sunday, registering most passing attempts (62), most completions (43) and most passing yards (466) as New England fought back from 28-3 down in the third quarter to win.
No tailgating, but no lack of partying at Super Bowl
Despite the absence of tailgating, there was no shortage of partying for Sunday’s Super Bowl, as what has grown to become a virtual US national holiday was set to kick off at Houston’s NRG Stadium. Heavy security surrounding the suburban Houston site for the NFL title clash between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons shut the door on tailgating as fans had to park remotely and ride buses to the 73,000-seat stadium.
But ticket holders were already in full party mode after a dizzying weekend of high-energy fun in the city center by an estimated 140,000 out-of-town visitors that poured in and those able to make it to the private parties dotted around the Texas oil capital. There was something for everyone, from the NFL Experience that catered to family fun, to booming dance clubs.
A-listers, movie stars, and business titans filled VIP parties across the city, from the Maxim bash to the Taste of the NFL, which raises funds for hunger relief, to the exclusive Bootsy Bellows soiree in a private club tucked in a corner of downtown. Fergie, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Cee-Lo Green and Busta Rhymes, actor Jon Hamm and Ludacris were spotted among party-goers and even Patriots owner Robert Kraft rocked out on stage with rapper Flo Rida on at the Fanatics Super Bowl party.
Tickets prices just before kickoff on the online resale market were ranging from $2,700 apiece to over $5,000, and one needed more money, of course, to keep the party vibe going helped by 115 concession stands in the stadium. Americans will consume more food on Sunday on any other day of year except Thanksgiving, going through 1.3 billion chicken wings and wash them down with 325 million gallons of beer.
Airbnb follows Super Bowl ad with call to house 100K in need
Airbnb is following up its Super Bowl ad calling for acceptance with a campaign to provide short-term housing over the next five years for 100,000 people in need. An announcement on the rental service’s website says it plans to start with refugees, disaster survivors and relief workers, but wants “to accommodate many more types of displaced people over time.” The company also says it will donate $4 million over four years to the International Rescue Committee.
Airbnb also touched on discrimination experienced by some renters. The company says it’s looking to achieve “greater acceptance in our community.” Airbnb’s Super Bowl spot showed faces of people of different races and included the line, “the world is more beautiful the more you accept.”
Stunning rally begs question: How do Pats rank in history?
The Patriots have the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Cue the debate on whether it translates into the greatest dynasty in the NFL, and maybe where New England ranks among dominant pro sports franchises. Perhaps the discussion hinges on the record-setting duo of quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick. There are some numbers that aren’t debatable, like most Super Bowl appearances for a team (nine) and a quarterback (seven). Brady’s five wins put him one ahead of Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for the most by a quarterback, and Belichick’s five are one better than Bradshaw’s coach in Pittsburgh, Chuck Noll.
Bradshaw and Montana never had a Super Bowl rally that even remotely resembled the 25-point recovery engineered by Brady in a 34-28 win over Atlanta on Sunday night in the first Super Bowl to go to overtime. Green Bay won the first two Super Bowls with Bart Starr and has four titles. Bradshaw’s Steelers became the team of the 1970s, with Roger Staubach and the Dallas Cowboys not far behind. Montana’s 49ers dominated the ‹80s.
Troy Aikman helped the Cowboys become the first team to win three titles in four seasons in the 1990s — and Brady matched him a decade later. Starr, Bradshaw, Staubach (they called him Captain Comeback), Montana, Aikman.
Vince Lombardi, Noll, Tom Landry, Bill Walsh, Jimmy Johnson. None of them have a claim to the sustained excellence of Brady and Belichick, the only duo to go to seven Super Bowls and win five.
There will always be arguments for the multiple dynasties of the New York Yankees, who have 27 World Series titles. Shortstop Derek Jeter and manager Joe Torre won four together in a span of five seasons from 1996 to 2000, not to mention Mickey Mantle and Casey Stengle or Lou Gehrig and Joe McCarthy. And don’t forget about the Montreal Canadiens, who won 16 NHL titles in 27 seasons from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Falcons ‹ran out of gas’ in painful loss, says coach
The Atlanta Falcons came agonizingly close to winning their first Super Bowl title on Sunday, and head coach Dan Quinn admitted the 34-28 overtime loss to the New England Patriots was hard to take. “No doubt that was a tough one for us,” said Quinn. “That’s a hard one in the locker room.” The Falcons looked headed for a romp, turning the Patriots over twice in the first half on the way to a 21-3 lead at intermission. A third-quarter touchdown made it 28-3 for Atlanta, but the Patriots refused to give up and scored a remarkable 31 unanswered points for the greatest comeback ever in a Super Bowl or any postseason game.
The defeat came in the first sudden-death overtime Super Bowl decision. Quinn felt the Falcons were worn out by the end by the pressure the Patriots applied. “I think for sure we ran out of gas some,” Quinn said.
“They executed terrifically. That was one of the things that we don’t talk about with them a lot, is the way they can execute. When they got hot, it was hard for us to deal with.”
That said, Quinn was proud of the way his team battled together in their quest for their first NFL title in the 51st season for the Falcons. “I am proud of the fight that these guys have. The brotherhood that this group has built, it’s as strong as I’ve seen,” he said. “We knew it was going to come down to the end for sure, and just at the end for them to have the scores back-to-back, that was the difference for sure.”
