NFL Stars Should Follow Tua Tagovailoa’s Lead and Hire Armed Guards To Combat Rash of Celebrity Break-ins

As the NFL enters Week 15, players are hiring added security to protect their homes as a rash of game-day break-ins persist.After one of his cars was broken into, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said he hired armed security guards to protect his Miami residence. “Just let that be known, they’re armed,” Mr. Tagovailoa said this week. “So I hope if you decide to go to my house, you think twice.”Mr. Tagovailoa issued the warning a few days after Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow became the latest pro athlete to have his home burglarized while he was away playing a Monday Night Football Game against the Dallas Cowboys at Arlington, Texas. Police believe the break-in at Mr. Burrow’s 7,000-square-foot mansion in the suburb of Anderson Township occurred between 2:30 p.m. and shortly after 8 p.m.The burglary was reported by model and influencer Olivia Ponton, who arrived at the home to discover a shattered bedroom window and the house ransacked. Ms. Ponton called 911. No one was injured, but Mr. Burrow was not happy with the break-in or the press attention it received.“I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one,” Mr. Burrow said at Cincinnati. “Way more is already out there than what I would want out there and that I care to share.”“We live a public life and one of my least favorite parts of that is the lack of privacy,” he added. “That has been difficult for me to deal with my entire career. I understand it’s the life we chose, but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.”Mr. Burrow is the latest professional athlete targeted by thieves law enforcement officials believe are connected to a South American theft syndicate. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce had their homes broken into on October 6 and October 7 while they were away preparing for a Monday Night Football Game against the New Orleans Saints.Mike Conley Jr., who is a point guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA, had his home invaded on September 15 while attending a Minnesota Vikings football game. A former Vikings player currently with the Cowboys, Linval Joseph, had his Minnesota home burglarized in November. Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis posted on social media that “prized possessions” were taken from his home early last month.In a memo issued last month to the security of each NFL team, the FBI described the theft rings as “well-organized, sophisticated with “advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” The NFL also suggested players and their families avoid using social media to post daily updates of their status, homes, or expensive possessions.NFL commissioner addressed the rash of break-ins during the owner’s meetings this week. “All of that is something that we all are trying to address,” he said. “But it’s clear there’s some organized fashion here that we hope the FBA and authorities can handle.”In most cases, the thieves have taken jewelry, cash, watches, luxury bags, and other items that can be resold.Retired FBI agent Warren Flagg told The New York Sun that crime syndicates use tools such as social media to track the schedules of high-profile targets. “They know when they’re away and they attack the house,” Mr. Flagg said. “They’re going to go after famous people because they know exactly where they are.”Mr. Tagovailoa said since the break-in to his car, when the Dolphins are on the road security stays with his family and at the house. “It was a little too close for comfort,” he said. “So we’ve got personal security to take care of that when we’re on the road.”Mr. Flagg also predicted more athletes must do what Mr. Tagovailoa is doing and protect their homes with armed guards. “These people have their home and their families to protect,” Mr. Flagg said. “They’re going to have to go to the private sector.”

NFL Stars Should Follow Tua Tagovailoa’s Lead and Hire Armed Guards To Combat Rash of Celebrity Break-ins

NFL Stars Should Follow Tua Tagovailoa’s Lead and Hire Armed Guards To Combat Rash of Celebrity Break-ins

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