NFL warns teams, players of criminals targeting athletes’ homes

The NFL alerted team security directors and the players’ union about criminals targeting the homes of professional athletes, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The memo sent to all 32 teams said organized criminals were increasingly targeting these homes, including the busts of Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce at the beginning of October.

Diana Russini from Athletic shared the note on X.

In it, the NFL stated that “law enforcement officials have observed that these groups appear to exploit team schedules to target athletes’ homes on game days.”

The memo goes on to detail surveillance and entry methods, social media recommendations, and home security recommendations.

The NFL states in the memo that “hacking groups appear to gather information about potential victims through public records, media reports and social media.”

The league recommends that players and teams wait until the end of the day to post social media updates with check-ins or daily activities.

On NBC Newssenior law enforcement officials confirmed that the FBI is working with local law enforcement agencies to determine whether these recent break-ins are related to a transnational criminal group. Those officials say the investigation is ongoing and subject to change.

A spokesman for the FBI’s Office of Public Affairs would not confirm or deny the investigation, citing longstanding Justice Department policy, according to Pelissero.

Mahomes and Kelce’s homes were broken into on Sunday, Oct. 6, the day before the Chiefs played the New Orleans Saints on “Monday Night Football.”

Police in Belton, Missouri, were reportedly called to Mahomes’ residence after a member of his security team called in the incident. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is ongoing but characterized the incident as a “breaking/breaking and entering,” according to police documents obtained by The Kansas City Star.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating, it’s disappointing,” Mahomes said last week. “I can’t go into too much detail because the investigation is still ongoing. But obviously it’s something you don’t want to happen, really to anyone, but obviously to yourself.”

Kelce’s home was broken into shortly after Monday Night Football began on Oct. 7. Documents show $20,000 was taken from the home and the back door was damaged.