As the NFL enters Week 15, players are recruiting extra security guards to protect their homes as a rash of game day break-ins continues.

After one of his cars was broken into, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said he hired armed security guards to protect his Miami home. “Let it be known, they are armed,” Mr. Tagovailoa said. said this week. “So I hope that if you decide to go to my house, you will think twice.”

Mr. Tagovailoa issued the warning days after Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow became the latest professional athlete to have his home burglarized while playing a Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. Police believe the break-in at Mr. Burrow’s 7,000-square-foot mansion in suburban 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 home to find a bedroom window broken and the house ransacked. Ms. Ponton called 911. No one was injured, but Mr. Burrow was not happy with the break-in or the media attention it received.

“I feel like my privacy has been violated in many ways,” Mr. Burrow said. said in Cincinnati. “There is already much more than I would like and want to share.”

“We live a public life and one of my least favorite aspects is the lack of privacy,” he added. “It has been difficult for me to manage my entire career. I understand that this is the life we ​​chose, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.

Mr. Burrow is the latest professional athlete targeted by thieves who law enforcement believes are linked to a South American theft syndicate. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce were burglarized at their homes Oct. 6 and 7 while they were preparing for a Monday Night Football game against the New York Saints. Orleans.

Mike Conley Jr., point guard for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, had his home invaded on September 15 while attending a Minnesota Vikings football game. Linval Joseph, a former Vikings player currently with the Cowboys, had his Minnesota home burglarized in November. Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis posted on social media that “valuable possessions” were taken from his home early last month.

In a memo sent last month to security for every NFL team, the FBI described the theft rings as “well-organized, sophisticated, equipped 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 about their status, home or expensive possessions.

The NFL commissioner addressed the rash of break-ins at owners’ meetings this week. “This is all a problem that we are all trying to address,” he said. said. “But it is clear that there is an organized fashion here that we hope the FBA and the authorities can manage.”

In most cases, the thieves took jewelry, cash, watches, luxury bags and other items that could 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 are away and attack the house,” Mr Flagg said. said. “They’re going to go after famous people because they know exactly where they are.”

Mr. Tagovailoa said that since his car was broken into, when the Dolphins are on the road, the safety remains with his family and at home. “It was a little too close for comfort,” he said. “So we have personal security to take care of it when we’re on the road.”

Mr. Flagg also predicted that more athletes should do what Mr. Tagovailoa does and protect their homes with armed guards. “These people need to protect their homes and their families,” Flagg said. “They’re going to have to go to the private sector.”