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How One Jilted Patriots Fan Stole 27 Giants Super Bowl Rings

In Thursday's Hot Clicks: How one Patriots fan briefly pulled off a perfect heist after New England's near-perfect season.

Some serious Patriots passion

The 2007 Patriots couldn't complete a perfect season when they lost to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, but four months later, Massachusetts resident Sean Murphy pulled off what was briefly a perfect heist.

Murphy was so incensed by the Giants Super Bowl win–one he deemed "lucky"–that he decided to steal a collection of championship rings from the E.A. Dion Inc manufacturing plant in Attleboro, Mass. And Murphy landed a relative treasure in Attleboro. He stole $2 million worth of gold and jewelry and over a dozen rings, including one he claimed belonged to Michael Strahan. But the thrill of the heist didn't last long. 

Murphy held off on selling the rings due to a flood of public interest in their disappearance, and he then gave one away to a former girlfriend. Murphy's home was raided by police in 2009 following the gifted ring, leading to a decade-plus stint in prison. Let's hope Murphy was allowed to watch at least one of New England's three Super Bowl victories across the last decade.

You can find the entire story of Murphy's heist in Bloomberg.

Alaskan Airlines has a bright idea

The coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the United States, and as the summer rolls on, the lack of progress can be downright frustrating. Bars and restaurants are packed, and people throughout the country refuse to engage in the simple safety measure of wearing a mask. Alaska Airlines is looking to change that. 

The company announced on Wednesday it will start issuing yellow cards to all passengers not wearing masks on flights. Those who don't comply after receiving the yellow card could be banned from future travel on the airline, which frankly isn't the harshest punishment possible. But in the fight against COVID-19, any incentive helps. Good on Alaska Airlines for their creative sy

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A good song

Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow him on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request, he's made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.