A football valued at $10,000 that belonged to Griffin native and Pro Football Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright was stolen from a school facility where it was housed, police said.
A Griffin-Spalding County School System employee first noticed framed photos and a yearbook were missing on May 31, according to an incident report. However, police did not learn about the missing items until June 14, after the same employee realized Wright’s football was gone, too.
All of the items were in a room in the central office in the 700 block of East Taylor Street. The room is used as a museum, school system spokeswoman Judy Parker told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
There was no forced entry into the building, police said.
Surveillance cameras are at the location, and Parker said she has viewed the footage. It showed “only routine in and out” of personnel, she said.
Wright donated the football to the district in 2016, according to Parker. He is a graduate of Fairmont High School in Griffin, which later merged with Griffin High School.
Wright went on to play college football at Fort Valley State University before the Dallas Cowboys picked him in the seventh round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He played for the Cowboys until 1979, appeared in five Super Bowls and was a six-time Pro Bowl selection.
Credit: Anonymous
Credit: Anonymous
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
In 2013, Wright was honored in a ceremony at Griffin High School, according to a post on the Pro Football Hall of Fame website.
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