Almost everyone in Ohio knew exactly where the N.F.L. quarterback Shedeur Sanders was going to be on Sunday, Nov. 16 — and where he wasn’t going to be.
Even as a rookie, Mr. Sanders, 23, was already one of the highest-profile athletes in sports. After an electric college career that made him a celebrity, he landed in Cleveland last year as a backup for the Browns, signing a $4.6 million deal. Nov. 16 was a big day: Mr. Sanders was thrust into his first N.F.L. action against the Baltimore Ravens after the Browns’ starting quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, left with an injury.
At the same time, 30 miles away, four men were robbing his house in Granger Township, a Cleveland suburb. It took them 12 minutes to enter the house through an unlocked door, grab $200,000 worth of designer clothing, sunglasses and bags, and make their getaway.
Mr. Sanders was the latest in a series of professional athletes whose homes have been burglarized while they were out playing in a game. In October 2024, a band of thieves burgled the homes of the Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce two days apart. They also stole a safe full of jewelry and cash from the home of the Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr., while he was playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Last night, while I was at work, my home was burglarized,” Mr. Portis wrote on X, adding that the thieves “took most of my prized possessions.”
