DK Metcalf says NFL warning players of home break-ins; Seahawks’ Ernest Jones had a scare

Tyra Jones was in her new, Seattle-area home with her baby son. Dad was not home.

Her husband was at work, playing a Seahawks game.

Ernest Jones’ wife heard suspicious noises outside their house. She’d read of the break-ins weeks earlier of the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce a day apart in the Kansas City area, before and after a Chiefs Monday night game. A police report cited by Kansas City media said burglars stole $20,000 in cash from Kelce’s house, with $1,000 in damage to a rear door.

This month, Joe Burrow was playing a Monday night game in Dallas. During it, burglars broke in the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback’s home, 940 miles away.

That was on Tyra Jones’ mind as she heard what she thought was an intruder on this recent Seahawks game day.

“My wife did think someone was breaking in,” Ernest Jones said this week.

“And then, you know, when you start hearing things like Patrick Mahomes, those only heighten your senses. And (you) get scared.”

It turned out to be nothing. Mom and baby, five-month-old Ernest Jones V, were and remain well.

Jones, 24, said he and his high-school sweetheart wife (Ware County High, Waycross, Georgia) have security and procedures to activate at their home they moved into from Nashville in late October. That was after the Seahawks traded with the Tennessee Titans two months ago to acquire their new middle linebacker.

“That situation just takes a toll on families,” Jones said. “Wives are at home, those things. Sucks.

“So, yeah, I wish there was a way the NFL could help us out with that, because that is tough when we’re going for away games and our family’s home. How can we protect them if we’re gone?”

How could the league’s policy and decision makers help players here?

“Yeah, that’s great question,” Jones said. “I’m pretty sure they’re trying to figure it out, too, or what they could do better to assist us — so that’s one less thing we have to worry about.

“But, yeah, man, I hate that that happened to the players that it did happen to, and I’m just hoping that their family’s OK and everything’s good.”

NFL’s recommendations to players

The league recently issued an alert to players on each of its 32 teams. The NFL advised players to be extra vigilant and aware of break-ins to their homes during game.

The league recommended players not post in real time on social media. It recommended they install security systems such as the one Jones has in his Seattle-area home and keep valuables out of plain sight.

“Yes, sir,” Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf said. “They sent out a memo earlier this season, just to be aware of everything, especially like when we go on a road game, make sure your house is secure and safely locked up.

“But, I live in a very safe environment, so I don’t have to worry about that.”

The league’s media network reported the NFL late last month issued an alert to team security directors and the players’ union about organized criminals targeting the homes of professional athletes.

That alert came out the week the Minneapolis-area home of former Vikings defensive lineman Linval Joseph was broken into on a weekend when Joseph was in the Dallas area playing a game for his Cowboys.

It is something Seahawks players have heard of and talked about.

“I think it’s pretty crazy,” Seattle cornerback Tariq Woolen said.

“You’ve got to be careful. Everybody isn’t a good person. You’ve got to watch your surroundings.

“It just sucks because, you know, we play a game that’s a lot of fun. We stay out of the way. We stay out of trouble. And for people to just try to steal things from certain players, it sucks, because those guys earned whatever they have. Those guys worked for everything they have.

“It sucks, for real.”

The break-ins have a pattern

This isn’t just an NFL issue.

In September, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported the home of Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. was burglarized on September 15 while he was attending a Vikings NFL game. The Star-Tribune reported then a “yet-to-be-determined amount of jewelry” was stolen.

In an Instagram post November 3, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis said his home had been broken into the previous night. Portis was playing a Bucks home game that night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Sources told NFL.com the FBI is suspects the crime wave has international origins. The league, the NFL Players Association and team security staffs including the Seahawks’, were told the crime spree is believed to be linked to a South American crime syndicate.

“It’s legit,” one source familiar with the situation told the league’s media outlet. “It’s a transnational crime ring, and over the last three weeks, they’ve focused on NBA and NFL players, and it’s all over the country.”

The NHL followed the NFL’s lead and warned Kraken players and those on all NHL teams of the security threats trending against professional athletes, CNN reported. There have been no reports of break-ins of hockey players’ homes while they’ve played games.

The NFL has told teams security staffs and players the break-ins have followed a pattern. The burglars have been mostly nonconfrontational. They do not burglarize homes while residents are inside. They use public records through online searches to find players’ addresses. They then conduct extensive surveillance. They track team game schedules. They monitor the social-media accounts of players and their family members. Once they know via the game schedules and online posts the homes are empty they gain access and quickly steal items such as cash, jewelry, watches and handbags. The league has been told the burglars in this spate focus mainly on master bedrooms and closets.

“My prayers are out to everybody who’s dealt with that,” Metcalf said. “Just make sure everybody stays safe during the rest of the season.”