Everyone knows the theft of personal property is always a possibility, but few expect to have to worry about family members being the perpetrators.
Two-time Super Bowl champion Vince Wilfork allegedly had his two Super Bowl rings stolen by his son — D’Aundre Holmes-Wilfork. Along with the rings, Holmes-Wilfork also allegedly stole Wilfork’s AFC Championship rings, his Miami Hurricanes national championship ring, and various necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
According to the New York Post, inmate records show that Holmes-Wilfork is currently awaiting trial in Galveston County, Texas after being arrested last month. He has been charged with theft of property greater than $300,000.
On May 10, Wilfork reported the items missing, and it was shortly after that a fan noticed the Super Bowl rings were up for sale on an online sports memorabilia website. According to Yahoo Sports, the person selling the rings claimed to have purchased the rings from Holmes-Wilfork for $62,000.
Holmes-Wilfork was arrested after the rings were turned over to police.
Wilfork was drafted out of the University of Miami in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. While in New England, he appeared in 158 games, recording 16 career sacks with 517 tackles. While in New England, the Patriots went to the playoffs every year except for the 2008 season, winning Super Bowls in 2004 and 2014. Wilfork played his final two NFL seasons with the Houston Texans.
Wilfork’s son has been in legal trouble in the past, being kicked off the University of Houston football team after being arrested for a drug related offense. Holmes-Wilfork was a walk-on for the Cougars football team.
This is not the first time that Super Bowl rings have been stolen.
After the New York Giants beat the Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl, 27 Super Bowl rings were stolen by two Patriots fans.
According to Bloomberg, Sean Murphy and an accomplice learned that the Giants Super Bowl rings were being made in a Rhode Island jewelry store, and decided to break into the store and steal the rings.
Murphy and his buddy found gold rings, gold necklaces, gold plates, boxes of gold beads, and drawers full of melted-down gold. Unable to crack the safe, they lifted it on a jack and pushed it through the loading dock onto their 24-foot box truck. Murphy was sweeping gold dust off the workstations when his accomplice came out of an office, his hands glittering with diamonds. There was a Super Bowl ring engraved “Strahan” and a few others that read “Manning.” By the time Murphy had finished loading up the box truck, he had more than $2 million of gold and jewelry and more than two dozen Super Bowl rings.
Murphy was caught, and eventually was sentenced to 20 years in prison for another crime.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].