Patriots Super Bowl Ring of Spygate Intern Up for Auction

Players aren't the only ones who receive Super Bowl rings, which helps explain the following story.

Matt Estrella, who was an intern with the New England Patriots at the time, was given a ring after the team held on for a 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. That was the Patriots' third championship in four years.

via GoldinAuctions.com

The ring has a lot of cool features. Not only does it have three Lombardi Trophies on it, but it includes the phrases "3 out of 4," "Back to Back" and "21 straight." This ring celebrates the Patriots' dynasty, not just one season.

via GoldinAuctions.com

Now that ring is up for auction on Goldin Auctions. Darren Rovell of ESPN.com has more information about how the piece of memorabilia ended up being put up for auction:

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According to an affidavit signed by Estrella, who sold the ring in May 2012 to the person who consigned the ring to Goldin for the auction, he worked for the team as an assistant in the team's video department until 2009.

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Estrella was just an intern, so nobody should really want to pay much for his ring, right? It's not like he's Tom Brady.

True, but many NFL fans identify Estrella as the man behind Spygate.

Back in 2007, Estrella was the man who was caught filming the New York Jets' signals on the sidelines during a game. When the league reviewed the incident, it fined the Patriots $250,000 and coach Bill Belichick $500,000. New England also lost a draft pick as part of the punishment.

It's even more valuable considering that this is the last ring that the Patriots have won. They are 0-2 in Super Bowls since 2004. Some fans question the credibility of New England's three Super Bowl victories, which adds some mystique to the ring. 

As of 11 a.m. ET on Thursday morning, the highest bid had surpassed $5,700. The auction will wrap up on Friday night.