Roquan Smith's UGA Helmet, Jerseys Stolen In Athens

ATHENS, GA — Just days after being selected by the Chicago Bears with the NFL Draft's eighth overall pick, former University of Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith got some decidedly worse news over the weekend.

Items including jerseys the Butkus Award-winner wore in the 2017 Rose Bowl and National Championship Game were stolen from his vehicle in Athens.

According to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department report, several items were stolen from Smith's vehicle some time between 5 p.m. Friday and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. According to the report, they included:

• Smith's 2017 UGA football helmet
• his 2017 UGA football jersey
• his jersey worn in the 2017 Rose Bowl
• his jersey worn in the 2017 National Championship Game
• an iPad belonging to the Chicago Bears
• a UGA "Athlete of the Year" trophy
• four pairs of headphones
• two watches
• a Bluetooth speaker
• sunglasses
• Nike athletic shoes

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Police were called at 11:46 a.m. Saturday. According to ACC Police, Smith's vehicle had been parked in a parking garage at The Mark apartments on Oconee Street.

There was no sign of forced entry into the vehicle, police said. Smith told them he was sure he had locked it, but that he had gone outside to a friend's car late Friday night and could possibly have accidentally unlocked it then.

According to the police report, it's "possible those jerseys are worth up to $40,000 a piece due to Mr. Smith’s clout at UGA and soon in the NFL." He told officers the items had great sentimental value and were "priceless" to him.

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A woman identifying herself as Smith's aunt tweeted about the crime on Saturday. Her tweet was shared by members of UGA's coaching staff.

"My prayer is that the person who committed the crime will deal with their issue and that anyone who knows of information related to this crime will report it immediately to the Athens Police Dept.," wrote Shaquwanda Baker, who lives in Washington D.C. "There were a lot of items taken but none more dear to his heart than his UGA jerseys and helmet."

After helping lead the Bulldogs' to a 13-2 record and the national-title game as a junior, Smith announced in January that he would leave UGA early and declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft. As expected, he was a first-round pick and became the draft's first linebacker off the board when the Bears selected him at No. 8 on April 26.

With tremendous sideline-to-sideline speed, Smith tallied 137 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2017. He won the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker, and was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year. In the Rose Bowl and National Championship Game, he racked up another 24 tackles.

Photo via GeorgiaDogs.com