As we expected, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow wouldn't be the last NFL player to be the victim of a burglary. A member of the Dallas Cowboys has sadly had his home burglarized too.
According to reports, Cowboys Pro Bowl defensive lineman Linval Joseph saw his home in Minnesota broken into this past November. Joseph's home is located in upscale neighborhood of Sunfish Lake within St. Paul, Minnesota. Per Dallas Cowboys on SI, the neighborhood has seen several other burglaries take place recently as well.
In a recent statement, West St. Paul Police Chief Brian Sturgeon said that burglars are using "sophisticated techniques" to determine when residents are leaving their homes and how to avoid exterior cameras to evade detection.
“We know that they’re using some sophisticated techniques in order to determine when people at the home are leaving and where exterior cameras are situated on homes, and the burglaries have been the work of more than one person," Sturgeon said, via Yahoo.
Joseph joins the likes of Burrow and Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce as NFL players who have been the victims of burglary in just the past few months. But authorities are long past the point of believing that it's a coincidence.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported back in November that the FBI is investigating the burglaries as part of an international organized crime wave. Unnamed sources Pelissero cited said that NFL and NBA players have been targeted by what they believe is a South American crime ring.
"Sources say the FBI is investigating the crime wave as international organized crime. The league, the NFL Players Association and team security forces also have been monitoring the crime spree, which is believed to be tied to a South American crime syndicate. At least one other current NFL player's home was burglarized in the past week," Pelissero wrote after Joseph's home was robbed.
One of the downsides to being a professional athlete is that anyone in the world can have a pretty firm idea when the player will be away from their home at any given time.
We can only hope that the authorities are able to stop this crime wave before someone gets physically hurt.
