The NFL says the break-ins are part of the union

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The FBI reportedly worked with Kansas City law enforcement agencies to investigate burglaries last month at the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

NBC News said the FBI is trying to determine whether those home burglaries, along with two incidents involving NBA players, “are connected to a transnational criminal group, such as one in South America.”

The incidents involving Kelce and Mahomes caught the attention of the NFL.

The NFL on Wednesday issued an alert to “team security directors and the players’ union about organized and skilled criminals increasingly targeting the homes of professional athletes,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on the league’s website Thursday .

That includes the break-ins at Mahomes and Kelce’s residence. the burglary at Mahomes’ Loch Lloyd home occurred shortly after midnight on October 6. Kelce’s home was broken into the next night while the Chiefs were playing the New Orleans Saints.

The thieves took $20,000 in cash from Kelce’s home, police in Leawood, Kan., said.

St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press said the home of Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Linval Joseph was part of four burglaries in suburban St. Paul. Joseph is a former Minnesota Vikings player.

West St. Police Chief Paul, Brian Sturgeon, told the Pioneer Press that thieves used “sophisticated techniques” to determine when people leave their homes and where security cameras are located around a home. Some break-ins have occurred through upstairs windows because they don’t have sensors.

There are another 60 cases in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, along with several nationwide, the Pioneer Press said.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley’s home in Medina, Minn., was broken into while at a Vikings game in September. Bucks forward Bobby Portis (Little Rock Hall, Arkansas Razorbacks) shared a post on X saying there was a burglary at his home earlier this month in River Hills, Wisconsin.

Medina police told NBC News, “We are aware of some of the other athletes from different states who had their homes broken into. Our investigator is working with those agencies and other state and federal partners. We can’t say for sure that they are all related.”

The NFL apparently believes there is a connection.

“The league, NFL Players Association and team security forces also monitored the crime, which is believed to be linked to a South American crime syndicate,” Pelissero wrote.

A source was quoted in that story as saying, “It’s legit. It’s a transnational criminal network and in the last three weeks they’ve been targeting NBA and NFL players and it’s all over the country.”

Why NFL Players’ Homes?

Brad Garrett, a former FBI agent who works for ABC News, explained why professional athletes could be targeted by criminals.

“Their schedules were going to be released when they were going to play a game, so it’s easy to go when they go home,” Garrett said in an ABC video. “These high profile people are really ripe targets.”

Mahomes spoke about the break-in at his home last week at a press conference at the Chiefs facility.

“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 anybody, but obviously to you,” Mahomes said.

Kelce has not spoken publicly about the break-in at his home.

Leawood police declined to comment on its investigation.

“Our agency is following all investigative leads and working closely with victims to resolve open cases,” the department said in a statement to The Kansas City Star. “The Leawood Police Department is dedicated to the public we serve and will work tirelessly to ensure that the city of Leawood remains one of the safest cities in the state of Kansas.”