Titans' Jeffery Simmons grateful his mom wasn't at his home during armed burglary

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is grateful his mother wasn't following her usual routine of watching him play road games at his house when burglars broke in carrying guns and other weapons.

“All the materialistic things, eventually I can get all of that back,” Simmons said Thursday. “But if one of my family members would have lost their life, that’s what would have hurt way more than them breaking into my home. So I am grateful.”

Simmons returned home from the Titans’ 37-24 road loss to the San Francisco 49ers to discover his garage door open and things missing. He called police and also posted several Instagram stories, including home security video showing two masked people entering his house through the patio at about 7:30 p.m. CST on Sunday night.

The Titans said in a statement Monday that team security was working with Metro Nashville Police Department to investigate the burglary.

The Titans' three-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee choked up Thursday and used a towel to dry his eyes as he spoke about the burglars looking like boys or young adults carrying weapons when he watched his security video. He said that's why his foundation works to help young people in the community.

“I don’t do it for the publicity and the Walter Payton Man of the Year,” Simmons said. “You do it to try to impact somebody’s life. So yeah, man, it sucks.”

The three-time Pro Bowl tackle is tied for the longest-tenured player on the Titans' roster. Last week, he became the sixth player on record to notch a sack, force a fumble and score a touchdown in a game. He caught a 1-yard TD pass from Cam Ward for the second receiving touchdown of his career.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the break-in was related to past burglaries at the homes of professional athletes. Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders' home was burglarized during his NFL debut in November by three people wearing masks and gloves who stole approximately $200,000 in property.

Simmons said his message to teammates and people around the NFL is to keep working with young people.

“When I looked at my camera, them boys don’t look, I mean, them boys, they look like young kids,” Simmons said. “They look like young adults too that (are) just lost right now, and that’s the reason why we’ve got to continue to use our platform.”

The FBI warned leagues in December 2024 about crime organizations that allegedly targeted the homes of Luca Doncic, Bobby Portis, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow. Investigators believed organized theft groups from South America were behind the crimes, in which burglars broke into athletes’ homes while they were known to be on the road with their teams.

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