The Miami Dolphins quarterback issued the warning following a string of apparent targeted burglaries at NFL players’ homes
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Tua Tagovailoa warned potential home burglars on Wednesday to “think twice” about targeting him and his family while he and the Miami Dolphins are on the road, explaining that his personal security guards are “armed.”
Tagovailoa, 26, issued the warning during his media availability on Wednesday, Dec. 11 after he was asked about a recent string of home burglaries which have appeared to target NFL superstars while they’re playing games and out of the house.
Investigators believe burglars specifically targeted Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in early October, breaking into their homes within 48 hours of each other around the time they were playing against the New Orleans Saints.
This past weekend, Cincinnati area police say Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home was broken into while the NFL star was in Texas playing the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
Last month, the NFL issued a memo to its players warning them about a possible organized crime ring breaking into players’ homes while they’re away at games, PEOPLE reported.
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Tagovailoa told reporters this week that he began hiring personal security after his car was broken into, saying it felt “a little too close for my comfort with my family being in the house.”
“We got personal security to take care of all of that when we’re on the road,” Tagovailoa told reporters Wednesday. “We got someone with my wife, got someone also at the house, surveying the house, so just to let that be known, they are armed, so I hope if you decide to go to my house, you think twice.”
ABC News and Fox 4 Kansas City reported last month that investigators believe the recent burglaries targeting NFL players may be connected to a South American crime ring.
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Burrow, 28, lamented Wednesday that the burglary left him feeling “like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one, and way more is already out there than I would want out there and that I care to share.”
Meanwhile, other athletes beyond the NFL have said their homes have been broken into in recent months, as well. Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis’ took to Instagram to share the news his home in River Hills, Wis., was burglarized while he was playing a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 2.
