Football

Awesome gesture from Aldon Smith ... the new Cowboys star says he's going to read to kids to help brighten their days -- telling TMZ Sports, "It's just one way I can be a source of help."

Aldon's storytime is all part of a new charity initiative that was put together by WorkForce Software CEO Mike Morini and Jay Glazer's Merging Vets and Players program.

Morini tells us the charity work is pretty simple ... key execs and athletes from all over the country are signing up to read stories and books remotely to children directly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Morini says Aldon -- along with a bunch of other athletes like Andrew Whitworth and Robert Griffin III -- jumped at the opportunity when he presented it to them ... saying, "Man, they were all happy to do it."

As for why ... Aldon tells us he understands just how big of an impact the small, charitable act can have on the kids.

"The first thing that went to my head was I was a Tennesee Titans football fan and a Chicago Bulls fan, and you know, I’ve always been a fan of sports and then music, so I loved all kinds of singers and artists," Smith says.

"So, if any of them would have hopped on a phone call or a video call and read a book, it's something I would remember."

Aldon, who was just reinstated by the NFL and will get another shot at pro football for the first time in years, added, "It just goes along with what I’m into and what I’m about."

Ryan Leaf has been arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery in Palm Springs, CA ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The former NFL quarterback was taken into custody around 2 PM PT on Friday, May 22nd.

According to jail records, he was booked for domestic battery -- and bail was set at $5,000.

As of now (the time of this post), Leaf is still in custody.

44-year-old Leaf is listed on his booking sheet as 6'6", 250 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

We're working on the details ...

Of course, Leaf was the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft -- but his career flamed out fast and his life fell apart soon after.

Leaf has been arrested multiple times for things like drug possession and burglary ... but he had sobered up and became a program ambassador for an organization that runs sober houses in multiple cities including L.A. and N.Y.

He's recently been covering college football for ESPN.

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are firing back at a report claiming the QB turned down a 5-year, $175 MILLION contract extension ... saying that offer simply never hit the table.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says he spoke with Prescott's agent and reps from the team ... and they confirmed contract discussions between the two sides have only consisted so far of the length of the deal -- not money numbers.

Of course, ex-NFL QB and current league analyst Chris Simms reported this week that he's heard otherwise.

Simms -- speaking on 105.3 The Fan -- claimed he was told by "some people who are in the know" that Dak was poo-pooing a 5-year deal that would pay him roughly $35 mil per year.

"He wants a four-year deal," Simms says. "If they do agree to a five-year deal, they would like a really big number at the end of that fifth year to cover their butts for what the market might be at the position five years from now."

"And, I’ve heard he’s asking for somewhere like north of $45 million in that fifth year."

But, Rapoport reported Thursday, "The two sides have never discussed such scenarios or anything like it. Dak wants a shorter deal, the Cowboys want a longer one. July 15 is the deadline."

Ex-Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis says giving owners a draft incentive to hire minorities is "like having Jim Crow laws" ... ripping the proposal as straight-up "offensive."

Remember, the NFL owners reportedly planned to vote on a proposal that would reward teams with a better 3rd round draft pick if they had hired a minority GM or coach.

While the proposal was tabled during the owners meetings on Tuesday, Lewis went off on the idea of giving teams an incentive to hire minorities in an interview with The Baltimore Sun.

"It was offensive, definitely offensive," Lewis said. "It was like having Jim Crow laws."

As for compensating teams with draft picks? Lewis isn't happy with that, either.

"Draft picks are like gold. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. As a head coach, no one wants to be hired or put in that position."

Owners DID vote to expand the Rooney Rule to require teams to interview at least 2 minority candidates when hiring new coaches ... which Lewis says is a good thing.

"This will be a plus requiring more than one minority to be interviewed because it will cause them to take a deeper dive."

FYI -- there are currently 4 minority coaches and 2 minority GMs in the NFL, which is comprised of 32 total teams.

Aldon Smith says he's not worried about rust in his NFL comeback -- telling TMZ Sports he feels young, healthy and "blessed by God."

The 30-year-old pass-rusher was reinstated by the NFL after 5 years out of pro football due to several off-the-field issues including arrests stemming from substance abuse.

But, Smith -- a former 1st All-Pro -- says he's now clean and sober and focused on football. In fact, he's been busting his ass in L.A. with Jay Glazer and recently signed a 1-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys.

Some people would be concerned about readjusting to the speed of the NFL after 5 years off ... but Aldon says he's not sweating it at all.

"God has blessed me with talent," Smith tells us ... " And, one of the talents is my natural gift to play ball, to be an athlete."

"So, I still feel young. I don’t have the mileage on my body. I still feel great when I go to the gym. I still feel young and fresh. So, if anything, I’m looking forward to what I’m going to be able to do out there."

When asked if he thinks he has another 19.5 sack season in him -- the same numbers he posted back in 2012 -- Smith was confident about that, too!

"I’m an overall better person [than I was back then]," Smith says.

"I got 20 sacks ... 19.5 ... I say 20 because it was 20. But, I was able to play at a high level with a lot of other things going on in my life.  With how life is for me now, I’m just looking forward to seeing what I can do."

Luke Hill -- one of the top recruits in Oregon's 2020 football class -- was arrested this week ... after he allegedly attempted to murder his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.

FYI, 18-year-old Hill is of the one best high school cornerbacks in the country. He signed his National Letter of Intent with Oregon months ago ... but the school says they parted ways in the spring. They have not explained why they parted ways, but they're probably glad they did now, based on the allegations.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops say they responded to a call of a shooting in Prince George's County, Md. -- near where Hill played his high school ball -- at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

While on the scene ... cops say the victim told them he was playing basketball when a white car with window tint pulled up and fired on him.

Fortunately, cops say the victim told them nobody was injured by the gunshots ... and went on to say his girlfriend had received menacing messages from Hill -- whom she had had a prior relationship with -- just an hour or so before the incident.

According to the docs, the victim explained Hill had messaged his GF about their relationship and had stated he was "trying to find out where the victim lives."

Cops say when they went to Hill's home after they wrapped up investigating at the victim's ... they saw Hill pull up in a white vehicle that matched the victim's description -- and after they detained him, they obtained a warrant to search the house.

That's when officers say they recovered three firearms from Hill's residence ... including a Glock 22 handgun that was located in a hidden compartment in Hill's bedroom, behind Univ. of Oregon football recruiting letters.

Officers say the caliber of fired shell casings they recovered at the victim's residence matched the gun in Hill's room ... and they arrested the football player shortly after.

In Hill's mug shot, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see the guy wasn't exactly a happy camper.

Prosecutors have since hit the 5'11", 175-pound defensive back with EIGHT charges ... including felony first-degree attempted murder and felony assault.

The Univ. of Oregon has told multiple media outlets Wednesday it had parted ways with the football player earlier this spring prior to the arrest... despite receiving his National Letter of Intent earlier in the recruiting cycle.

An anonymous NFL player says he was sexually assaulted on a United Airlines plane and claims flight attendants didn't do much to stop it -- and now, he's suing.

The player -- using the alias "John Doe 1" in the new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports -- says on Feb. 10, 2020 ... a woman "sexually harassed, assaulted, abused, and violated" him during a flight.

The unidentified footballer says the trip -- a cross-country, red-eye ride from LAX to New Jersey -- was a complete nightmare ... and it was all made worse by United staffers.

In the suit, the man says he took his place in a middle seat ... and when a woman sat in the window seat next to him -- he claims he was immediately harassed over the safety mask he was wearing.

The football player says he told her it was because of the growing coronavirus pandemic ... but claims the woman hit and elbowed him and demanded he move seats nonetheless.

The man says he and his friend, identified as "John Doe 2" in the suit, observed the woman taking pills -- and believed her to be under the influence.

In the suit, the NFL player claims Doe 2 got up to tell flight attendants about the woman harassing Doe 1 ... but says they did nothing about it.

The NFL player claims the woman then sexually assaulted him ... groping and massaging his knees and thighs. He claims Doe 2 got up again to inform flight attendants, but says they still did nothing.

In the suit, the NFLer claims the woman began to "intensify" her sexual assault, "grabbing and groping his quads and then stroking her hand across his lap towards the inside of his leg near his genitals."

He claims he immediately got up and pleaded with a flight attendant to get the woman to stop ... but he says the United employee did nothing more than issue a verbal warning to the woman.

The NFL player then says the woman grabbed his penis and ripped off his face mask -- causing him to jump away and run toward flight attendants.

While he was up, Doe 2 says the woman slid over into the middle seat and began sexually assaulting him as well.

Finally, the NFL player claims United flight attendants came over and moved the woman to another row without passengers.

The NFL player says both he and Doe 2 were given $150 vouchers for their troubles ... but they're now suing and seeking damages for negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and more.

We reached out to the player's attorney in the case -- who would not confirm the NFLer's identity.

The attorney, though, did issue a statement, saying, "Those who report assaults should not be ignored, but believed, their claims investigated and appropriate action taken where warranted."

We reached out to United for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Ben Roethlisberger's being put on blast for getting a haircut in public during the COVID-19 pandemic ... with PA Governor Tom Wolf calling out the QB for not following the state's shutdown measures.

Of course, Big Ben was excited to show off his new, trimmed look in a hype video on Monday ... which symbolized the Steelers QB finally being back to 100% after an elbow injury.

The video showed a mask-less Ben in a Sewickley barbershop getting his hair and beard trimmed up over the weekend ... which is a big no-no, considering hair salons in Allegheny County haven't gotten the green light to reopen yet.

When asked if Ben's visit will spark an investigation into the barbershop ... Wolf explained he's not happy about the situation.

"My concern is just a general concern," Wolf said on Tuesday. "Anybody who puts himself or herself into harm’s way is something that I think we have to try to avoid."

"When you go to something like a barbershop and you’re not protected, I don’t care who you are, the chances of that virus actually wreaking havoc on your life increases."

"I don’t personally think any Pennsylvanian ought to take that chance. I certainly don’t want to take that chance myself."

Ben had been growing his hair out ever since he went down with the injury in September ... vowing to keep the caveman look until he was officially back.

Move over, Eric Dickerson ... another NFL legend is blasting his former team's uniforms -- this time Boomer Esiason says the Bengals jerseys suck, and he's demanding a change ASAP!!

"The one thing I will say -- going into next year -- the Bengals are going to have to redo their uniforms," Esiason said on his "Boomer and Gio" show this month. "They are just horrific. I don't like them."

Boomer -- who played for Cincy from 1984 to 1992 -- says he's held the opinion for a LONG time ... revealing he's believed the Bengals' unis have been awful for more than a decade!!

"They've just got too much stuff going on," Boomer said. "Too much orange. Too many things happening on that uniform. They need to like -- I want to say tone it down."

"It's hard to tone down tiger stripes, but you can. And, I just think that the jerseys over the last couple, 15 years just have not been all that great looking."

Esiason's solution? He says keep the "iconic" helmet -- and then just tamp everything down ... similar to the way Oklahoma State has used a black-and-orange scheme over the years.

By the way, if the jersey rant sounds familiar ... it's because just a few days ago, Dickerson laid into the Rams' new 2020 helmets for looking like "two bananas."

Other teams, like the Patriots, Falcons, Buccaneers and Colts, have redone their uniforms this offseason as well with mixed reviews ... with most NFL fans hating the redesigns.

Do you believe in workarounds?!

Al Michaels says when it comes to calling NFL games during the COVID-19 pandemic, he stands firmly AGAINST working from a remote location.

The broadcasting legend was asked to weigh-in on how coronavirus safety measures could affect pro sports FOR ANNOUNCERS moving forward ... and Al didn't hold back.

"I would hate to think we would not be able to be in the stadium and announce the games from some other location,” the 75-year-old told the NY Post.

"That would not fly as far as I am concerned. You have to be able to feel it, even without fans."

Michaels also says he's not super worried about the disease -- confident he'll be safe if he follows protocols.

"I’m at the point that I’ve done this my whole life. I’m not a fearful person. I understand that we have to take precautions here."

As we previously reported, networks are kicking around ideas about how to preserve the excitement and energy from a normal NFL broadcast ... despite the fact, there will likely be no fans allowed at games when the league gets back in action.

As Joe Buck said, networks including FOX are seriously considering using fake crowd noise during NFL game broadcasts to try and replicate a "normal viewing experience."

IT'S HAPPENING!!!

Tom Brady took the field for drills with his Buccaneers teammates for the first time (at least publicly) Tuesday ... and it's weird as hell seeing the guy in a bright orange uni!!

Check out a pic of the new TB QB during the workout -- which took place at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, FL -- he was the only one in shoulder pads and an orange jersey.

Brady also rocked his new Bucs helmet during the sesh ... and according to the Tampa Bay Times -- the 7 AM ET workout featured around eight of the QB's new teammates.

The drills lasted for about two hours, the Times reported ... and concluded with some convos in the stands.

And, no, Brady and the Bucs didn't violate any NFL rules ... the league said in a statement to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero the workout is all good in their books.

Of course, that's a welcoming feeling for Tom -- remember, he was booted from a closed park for working out there just a few weeks ago!

Tom's been able to switch things up ... getting some runs in at his rented Tampa mansion -- but with Florida lifting stay-at-home orders recently, seems Tom's in the clear to throw with teammates now.

Tony Romo touchdown pass to ... LeBron James????

The King and his business partner say that damn-near happened way back in 2011 ... with Maverick Carter revealing Jerry Jones offered LBJ a contract with the Dallas Cowboys!!

Here's the deal ... LeBron said on an Uninterrupted podcast Monday he had such serious concerns about the NBA lockout in 2011, he actually began training for a pro-football career.

The Lakers superstar -- who was with the Miami Heat at the time -- says he changed up his whole workout routine in the event he would have to switch sports.

LeBron says he was dead serious about it all too ... claiming he added 40 times, more bench pressing and even sled pushing.

"The thoughts came into my mind," James said. "I had no idea how long the lockout was going to be.”

In fact, Carter chimed in and said things got so serious -- the Cowboys actually reached out with an offer!!

Fortunately for the NBA, the league got back to work, and LeBron never had the chance to switch sports ... instead, deciding to frame and hang Jerry's offer on the wall as opposed to signing it.

But, LeBron admits football is an itch he's sad he never scratched ... revealing he straight-up still dreams about the sport!

"It’s crazy because I actually never run on the field in my dreams," James said. "It always gets to the point where I’m either in the locker room or getting dressed or talking about or seeing the fans and as soon as I’m about to run on the field, something else happens in my dream. It’s like something that it always happens like that."

The NBA is still hoping to return to play this season amid the coronavirus pandemic, but, in the meantime, the Cowboys COULD still use another tight end ...

Cops are NOT in possession of video showing Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar robbing people at gunpoint at a cookout in FL ... but investigators are scouring the neighborhood hoping to find something ASAP.

Multiple people involved in the investigation had told us they were confident there was video from the May 13 incident -- but a spokesperson for the Broward County State Attorney's Office tells us straight-up there's no video, "not that I'm aware of."

One person involved in the case tells us cops are making an effort to speak with people in the vicinity to find out if the incident was captured on home surveillance video, including Ring doorbell cameras ... and no, TMZ Sports has not seen any video of the incident either.

As we previously reported, Baker is facing 8 felony charges including armed robbery and aggravated assault -- while Dunbar is facing 4 counts of aggravated assault.

Both men claim they have multiple witnesses who say they did not rob anyone at gunpoint. Meanwhile, both men are out on bond, awaiting their next court date.

The issue ... cops say they spoke with multiple witnesses on the night of the incident who fingered Baker as the shot caller in a brazen armed robbery.

One witness told cops Baker ordered a third man, who was wearing a red mask, to shoot another partygoer.

Cops say Baker, Dunbar and the unidentified third man fled the scene in exotic getaway cars with more than $12,000 in cash and $60,000 in expensive watches.

Both the Giants and Seahawks have said they are aware of the allegations ... and are doing their own investigations into the matter.

Ben Roethlisberger's days of looking like Tom Hanks in "Cast Away" are OVER -- 'cause the Pittsburgh Steelers QB is back throwing on the football field ... and he's got a new look.

Remember, Big Ben went down with an elbow injury in 2019 ... and promised to not shave or cut his hair until he could throw a football again "like, a legit NFL pass."

Steeler fans (and Ben's wife) have gotta love the clip Roethlisberger posted on social media on Monday ... showing the QB finally getting back to work at 100%.

The hype vid is proof Roethlisberger earned his fresh cut, 'cause Ben is seen throwing bombs to his guys, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner and Ryan Switzer.

"He's baaaaack," JuJu says in the vid. "Stay tuned."

Of course, the 38-year-old played just 2 games in 2019 and had surgery to repair his elbow ... so naturally, some fans showed a bit of concern over the status of their QB.

But, Ben looks a LOT better on and off the field now ... 'cause that beard is gone!!