Football

Just 'cause Rob Gronkowski is an NFL player again doesn't mean he's giving up his WWE 24/7 championship belt without a fight -- and he's already eyeing his own coach as a potential threat!!!

Remember, Gronk became the new 24/7 champ after beating up on Mojo Rawley at WrestleMania 36 last month ... pinning his friend to take over the shiny, new belt.

While it seemed like it was the beginning of a full-on career with Vince McMahon's org, the 30-year-old would end up BACK in the NFL weeks later to join his bestie, Tom Brady, on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

So ... what's Gronk gonna do with his belt??

HE'S DEFENDING THE DAMN THING, BABY!!!!

Rob joined his brother, Chris, on his "Gronk'd UP" podcast to discuss the status of his championship ... and he makes it clear he's got his eyes peeled for anyone looking to steal his belt -- even Bucs head coach Bruce Arians.

"Imagine coming out of the meeting room, I'm like looking to my left down the hallway ... looking to my right to make sure no one is out of the meetings yet, and then all of a sudden ... Coach Arians just comes out of nowhere with a flying elbow and takes me out and pins me and becomes the 24/7 champ," Gronk says.

"That would be legendary. That would be an honor to lose to him."

Of course, the point of the 24/7 belt is ANYONE can come out of nowhere to try to take it from Gronk ... and he says he's gonna have a huge target on his back once the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Gronk even speculates someone could try taking it from him DURING AN NFL GAME ... but he's up to the challenge.

"So many different people coming at me from all angles."

The NFL will NOT bring its games to London or Mexico this year ... Roger Goodell just announced the league will play entirely in the U.S. in 2020 over coronavirus concerns.

The Shield had planned to play one game in Mexico City and four games in London this season ... but Goodell and league officials said Monday those scheduled contests are now OFF.

"After considerable analysis, we believe the decision to play all our games domestically this season is the right one for our players, our clubs, and all our fans in the US, Mexico and UK," NFL exec Christopher Halpin said.

"We greatly appreciate the support of our governmental and stadium partners in Mexico and the United Kingdom, who all agree with this decision, and we look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season."

The Dolphins, Cardinals, Falcons and Jaguars had all committed to playing the international games ... but the NFL says those contests will now revert back to the teams' respective home stadiums.

The NFL has played in both London and Mexico for YEARS ... everyone from the Seattle Seahawks to the Kansas City Chiefs to the Oakland Raiders have played outside of U.S. soil recently.

Don Shula -- the NFL coaching legend who famously led the Miami Dolphins to a perfect season in 1972 -- has died at 90 years old.

"[Shula] passed away peacefully at his home this morning," the Dolphins said in a statement.

A cause of death was not immediately known.

"Don Shula was the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for 50 years," the team said.

"He brought the winning edge to our franchise and put the Dolphins and the city of Miami in the national sports scene."

"Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to Mary Anne along with his children Dave, Donna, Sharon, Anne and Mike."

Shula is one of football's all-time greats ... after a playing career as a defensive back in the NFL in the 1950s -- he went on to become a Hall of Fame coach.

Shula, the head man in Baltimore from 1963 to 1969 and then in Miami from 1970 to 1995, owns the record for most wins by an NFL coach EVER ... piling up 347 in his 33-year career.

Shula also won two Super Bowls as the coach of the 'Fins ... and is still the only man to ever coach an undefeated NFL team.

Don was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

RIP

Shula had a major impact on a ton of famous people. Some of them are posting tributes on social media including:

NFL commish Roger Goodell -- "Don Shula will always be remembered as one of the greatest coaches and contributors in the history of our game. He made an extraordinarily positive impact on so many lives."

"His iconic legacy will endure through his family and continue to inspire generations to come."

The Cleveland Browns -- who drafted Shula in 1951 -- shared the team's condolences ... saying, "We're proud of the fact that his football foundation was built in Ohio, starting at Harvey High School in Painesville, playing collegiately at John Carroll and then being drafted by the Browns."

"Coach Shula's contribution to our game are unmatched. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Shula Family."

Magic Johnson -- "RIP NFL Hall of Fame Coach and 2X Super Bowl champion Don Shula! My prayers go out to his family."

Andrea Kremer -- "My deepest condolences on the passing of Don Shula ... As a professional I worked w/ him & got to know him well, even naming my dog Zonk, just like he did. RIP Coach."

Gov. Ron DeSantis -- "Coach Don Shula leaves behind an incomparable legacy as the NFL’s winningest coach and as the one who put Miami sports on the map."

Bill Cowher -- "We lost one of the most iconic men in the history of NFL coaching in Don Shula. His leadership and wisdom helped to guide me and many others who have made a life in coaching football. Thank you Coach Shula. May your spirit and legacy live on forever."

Here's Jennifer Lopez giving Shakira a "SHAKE THAT ASS" lesson during a private Super Bowl halftime rehearsal ... and it's amazing!!!

"I do it with my knees," J Lo tells Shakira mid-gyration ... "If you shake your knees, your butt goes.

"My mother taught me that ... when I was four!"

WELL, THANK YOU, MRS. LOPEZ!!!

It's all part of newly released video Jenny from the Block decided to share with the world ... showing all of the hard work the team put in to make that INCREDIBLE halftime show from SB LIV back in February.

The footage is awesome -- and shows just how hands-on Lopez was with ALL of the dancers and performers, including Shakira!

"I can’t believe it’s already been 3 months since the #SuperBowlLIV#Halftime Show," Lopez said.

"So much has happened since then, but I wanted to share a fun peek behind the scenes at our first rehearsal with the dancers and @Shakira."

One of the moves they busted their asses to perfect was the end pose ... from the cake jiggling to the final ferocious head turn to the camera.

Asante Samuel says playing for Bill Belichick and the Patriots was NOT fun ... and he tells TMZ Sports he believes the reason Tom Brady bolted was 'cause he just couldn't take it anymore.

"He probably just got fed up with it at the end of the day," the former New England cornerback says.

Samuel played with Brady and Belichick from 2003 to 2007 ... and he had a TON of success -- but he tells us he had ZERO fun along the way.

"It worked out for me, man. It made me a better man, but it's not something I enjoyed," Samuel says.

As for why Samuel says playing for The Hoodie is a grind ... it's because of the coach's strict rules and no-mercy personnel decisions.

In fact, Samuel says it was so tough ... he believes that's why Brady will head into the 2020 NFL season with a Buccaneers jersey on.

"He probably just got tired of it," Samuel says of TB12. "He probably got tired of some inner-circle things that he wanted. Maybe, he wanted receivers and tight ends to stay there with him and maybe Bill tried to trade them. Who knows what happened?"

Don't get it twisted, though ... Samuel still seems to respect the hell out of what Bill did for his career -- telling us he just didn't love the route it took to get there.

Ron Jaworski is going to bat for his Eagles ... telling TMZ Sports Philly did NOT screw up the Jalen Hurts pick -- saying the QB could be used like Lamar Jackson!!

"The guy has too much talent to have him sit on the bench," Jaws says. "You could create that package for him just like Lamar Jackson had when he first came to Baltimore."

Of course, Jaws' opinion ain't shared by too many in Philadelphia ... the team was blasted all week for taking the Oklahoma star in the 2nd round despite having 27-year-old Carson Wentz on the roster.

Jaws admits he doesn't know exactly how the veteran QB will respond to the draft choice ... but he says Doug Pederson will find a way to get them both on the field at the same time regardless.

"You fit him in, you teach him, you groom him, and eventually you've got a player!" Jaworski tells us.

But, Ron made it clear, there will NOT be a QB controversy in Philadelphia ... as long as Wentz stays healthy.

Brett Favre is wrong ... Aaron Rodgers WILL spend the rest of his career in Green Bay -- so says Pack legend LeRoy Butler, who tells TMZ Sports the QB won't be bothered by Jordan Love at all!

"Aaron Rodgers ain't going anywhere," Butler says. "And, neither do I want him to go anywhere because as long as No. 12 is getting dressed, the Green Bay Packers have a chance at going to the Super Bowl."

Green Bay shocked the NFL world last week, TRADING UP to draft Love in the first round instead of getting Rodgers some much-needed offensive weapons.

A lot of people close to the 36-year-old QB have insinuated he's upset over the move ... with Favre saying straight up he believes A-Rodge will now look to finish his career in another city.

But, when we spoke to Butler -- who played for Green Bay from 1990-2001 -- about the whole situation ... he had a different take on it all, saying Rodgers will have no problem sharing a QB room with Love!

"If it was me, if I was Aaron Rodgers, one of my favorite rappers is French Montana," Butler says. "He has a song called, 'I Ain't Worried About Nothing.' I'd just play that all day!"

"I ain't worried about nothing! There's nothing to worry about! No. 12 is still the man! He will always be the man!"

As for Rodgers' relationship with Love ... Butler doesn't expect any drama there -- saying he believes Aaron will treat the rookie better than the way Favre did when he came to the Pack in 2005.

Saquon Barkley is stepping up in a huge way for a police officer badly injured in a car accident ... offering Giants tickets and sending a special personal message of support.

Port Authority police officer Peter Siano was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday after he was hit by a car while securing a crash scene.

Siano -- along with 3 Jersey City PD officers -- were handling traffic control around the crash when a driver sped through warnings and smashed into a JCPD cruiser, which hit Siano.

Officials say Siano suffered "serious" injuries -- and the driver responsible for the collision has been arrested and charged with assault by auto.

When the NY Giants found out about the situation, a bunch of players decided to make get-well videos for Siano ... including Barkley, Sterling Shepard and Grant Haley.

And, get this ... Barkley is even offering Siano a VIP experience with the team once he recovers.

"Thinking about you guys and once everything gets better, I would like to invite you guys to a Giants game," Barkley said.

"And to the police department, appreciate everything you guys are doing for us during this time."

This. Is. INSANE!!!

As if we needed more proof Myles Garrett's athleticism is not from this planet ... here's the Cleveland Browns superstar box jumping 60 INCHES -- from a standstill position!!!

The vert is CRAZY high -- most normies have trouble getting over just 24 inches -- and you can see in the footage, it didn't even take all that much effort for Myles to complete.

"It's nothing but vert, baby!" Garrett said afterward.

Of course, we should've seen this coming ... Garrett's been a monster in the weight room for YEARS -- remember when he deadlifted over 400 pounds for reps just a few weeks ago?!?!

As for his vert ... that's always been impressive -- he jumped 41 inches at the NFL Combine in 2017 -- but, clearly, his hops have improved further.

Great news for Von Miller ... the Denver Broncos superstar is now COVID-19 negative -- this after he battled the virus for over two weeks.

Von tested positive back on April 16 ... saying his symptoms started a few days earlier with trouble breathing and a bad cough.

"My girlfriend she told me when I was asleep she said my cough it didn’t sound normal," Miller said at the time.

Von spent the next couple weeks fighting through the illness ... and you can see in video of him celebrating the Broncos' first-round draft pick on April 21, his cough was pretty gnarly.

But, Miller tweeted Thursday that a new test revealed he had beaten the virus ... saying, "Got my results back. Im 'negative' for Covid-19."

So far, Miller, Saints coach Sean Payton and L.A. Rams center Brian Allen are the only known NFLers to have contracted the virus.

Will Ferrell dropped in on a Seattle Seahawks Zoom meeting this week ... making fun of new tight end Greg Olsen and showing off his "yoga bod" -- and it was all absolutely hilarious!!

Ferrell and 'Hawks coach Pete Carroll have a friendship that dates back more than a decade (it's a USC connection) ... and to liven up a mundane football talk Thursday -- PC had the comedian call in.

The results?? They were laugh out loud funny ... with Ferrell pretending to be Olsen and firing off jokes left and right.

"Coach [Brian] Schneider, I just want to let you know -- I want to be real clear -- I do not do special teams," Ferrell said. "Not ever. Not if all 52 guys are hurt."

Ferrell also joked about a bromance with Russell Wilson -- "let's make a baby" -- and even took shots at Olsen's aspiring broadcast career.

But, the best part ... Ferrell poked fun at his bod -- and when the comedy legend pulled up his shirt, everyone on the call busted out in laughter.

"Does this look like the body of a 36-year-old!?" Ferrell said, still pretending to be Olsen. "I don't think so! I don't think so!"

The call eventually ended with the real Olsen joining ... and even he couldn't help but laugh at all the jokes, saying, "That was awesome!"

Michael Irvin rocked it. So did Dez Bryant ... but the Dallas Cowboys officially have a new #88 -- 1st round pick CeeDee Lamb!!

It's a HUGE deal to rock that number in Big D -- especially following in the footsteps of legends like Mike, Dez and Drew Pearson -- but Jerry Jones made it clear he wanted to see the rookie in #88.

And, what Jerry wants, Jerry usually gets.

Remember, Lamb rocked #2 at Oklahoma -- but the NFL won't allow WRs to wear single-digit numbers in the league.

Lamb initially said he wanted #10 in Dallas ... but Jones made a compelling argument to switch to #88 ... telling reporters he hoped CeeDee would take the number to pay tribute to his friend and former Arkansas teammate, Jerry Lamb, who passed away this year.

"He was number 88," Jones said ... "I said in honor of my great friend that just passed this year we’re going to have his namesake come on here and wear old number 88."

"Just like Michael and Dez and those guys, and we’ve got us a wide receiver. And let me tell you one thing if he’s got the competes and heart of that Jerry Lamb he’ll be bad to the bone."

The jersey assignment hasn't been officially announced by the team yet ... but the NFL is already selling the Lamb 88s in the league store -- so you know it's only a matter of time.

As for CeeDee's say in the jersey process ... it's unclear how much influence he had on the pick -- but we do know one thing, this probably officially closes the door on Dez's dreams of coming back to the Cowboys.

Sad times ... but here's to new beginnings!

Former Jacksonville Jaguars star Telvin Smith has been arrested in Florida ... jail records show he was booked Wednesday on a charge of "unlawful sexual activity with certain minors."

Details surrounding the case are unclear ... we're working on it, but records show the 29-year-old was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and processed at 5:20 p.m. ET.

Jail records also show the 6'4", 215-pound ex-linebacker had his bond set at $50,003.

Remember, back in November, officials swarmed his home -- and according to police records obtained by TMZ Sports, it was because they received "information regarding a case of Unlawful Sexual Activity with Certain Minors."

Now, seems something significant has happened in the investigation ... with cops arresting Telvin on a similar charge Wednesday.

Smith was a stud for the Jaguars after being selected in the 5th round of the 2014 NFL Draft ... starting 69 games from '14 to '18 while making 1 Pro Bowl appearance.

He famously abruptly retired prior to the 2019 season ... writing on social media that he "must take time away from the game & get my world in order."

The Cincinnati Bengals are releasing Andy Dalton ... officially handing over the keys to their franchise to #1 overall pick, Joe Burrow.

The move, confirmed by multiple NFL reporters, will obviously pave the way for Burrow to be the Bengals' Day 1 starter in Cincy.

32-year-old Dalton had a hell of a run for the team ... he was drafted in the 2nd round in 2011 and started 133 games through 2019.

Dalton made three Pro Bowl appearances in his 9-year career ... but new head coach Zac Taylor was clearly ready to move on and begin a new era with Burrow.

Don't cry too much for Andy ... he reportedly made over $80 MILLION in his tenure with the team -- and rumors are Bill Belichick is possibly targeting him to replace Tom Brady in New England.

By the way, we know his arm's certainly up for the task ... remember when the Red Rifle showed off his gun in the backyard with his kids this month?!!?

Yeah, heads up, Jarrett Stidham!!

Ron Jaworski tells TMZ Sports he's nervous for his Eagles ... 'cause the Philly legend says the Dallas Cowboys CRUSHED the NFL draft last week!!

"I'm worried as hell about those Dallas Cowboys, man," Jaws says.

As for why ... Jaworski tells us CeeDee Lamb -- Jerry Jones' top pick last week -- is an elite receiver talent who he was actually hoping would fall to the Eagles at pick No. 21.

"CeeDee Lamb is special," Jaws says. "I'm watching him kind of slip down, slip down. And, I'm going, 'He may fall to 21! The Eagles might get him!' But, he wasn't getting by Jerry Jones!"

The Cowboys were THRILLED to land the Oklahoma receiver ... and, in fact, they went on to have such a huge draft -- Jerry said it might have been his finest work since 2005.

Jaws was having a hard time disagreeing with that when we spoke with him this week ... saying, "Oh, boy! We get to see (CeeDee Lamb) for the next 10 years?!"

"Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, their offensive line -- woah! They're going to be good! Going to be a good group!"