Saverio Rocca leapt to the defence of a retail assistant on Sunday as he revealed he chased down a thief who had attempted to steal clothes from a Melbourne clothing store. The 51-year-old is understood to have been shopping in JD Sports doing his Christmas shopping in the Northland Shopping Centre when an individual attempted to run out of the store with several items without paying.
![[Rocca was said to havebeen doing his Christmas shopping in JD Sports in the Northland Shopping Centre when a thief snatched some clothes from a retail assistant]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/18/93193617-14197573-Rocca_was_said_to_havebeen_doing_his_Christmas_shopping_in_JD_Sp-a-1_1734375530641.jpg)
A legend at both Collingwood and North Melbourne, having made 257 appearances between 1992 and 2007 as a full-forward, Rocca recounted how he told the individual to give the items back, before heroically chasing after the thief. 'I saw a guy, maybe mid-20s, rip some clothes from a shop assistant's hands and I said to the girl: "Is he stealing that" and she said: "Yes",' Rocca told The Herald Sun.
![[The former Collingwood and North Melbourne star chased after the thief before the individual put the cothes on the stolen items on the ground, with Rocca subsequently returning the items]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/12/93193611-14197573-image-a-54_1734353774635.jpg)
'I asked him to give them back and he said: "Nah, I’m leaving" and he started running. 'Stupid me, I started chasing him and I was running out the door yelling a few F-words and I said: "If I catch you I’ll fix you up". He decided to drop all the clothes and said: "All right".
![[Rocca would go on to become the oldest rookie-draftee in the history of the NFL, joining up with the Philadelphia Eagles, aged 33]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/12/93193613-14197573-image-a-55_1734353777423.jpg)
AFL and NFL legend Saverio Rocca has lifted the lid on how he heroically chased after a shoplifter on Sunday. Rocca was said to havebeen doing his Christmas shopping in JD Sports in the Northland Shopping Centre when a thief snatched some clothes from a retail assistant.
![[Recounting the incident, Rocca said: 'I’m just sick of hearing all these stories that people are stealing']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/18/93193615-14197573-Recounting_the_incident_Rocca_said_I_m_just_sick_of_hearing_all_-a-2_1734375531065.jpg)
