Football

Mississippi State star Kylin Hill -- one of the best football players in the country -- is demanding the state makes changes to its flag ... or "I won’t be representing this State anymore."

21-year-old Hill -- who was born and raised in the Magnolia State -- made his comments via Twitter on Monday ... in response to a tweet from Governor Tate Reeves discussing the topic of removing the Confederate symbol from the flag.

"Either change the flag or I won’t be representing this State anymore," Hill said. "& I meant that .. I’m tired."

He added ... "Unlike rest I was born in this state Hundred points symbol and I [know] what the flag mean."

TMZ Sports reached out to Hill via Instagram DM asking whether his tweet meant he would NOT play for the Bulldogs if the change wasn't made ... and he "liked" the message.

Ex-MSU star K.J. Wright expressed his support for Hill's stance ... saying, "You have my full support brotha! That flag represents hate, racism, oppression!"

"It’s BEEN TIME for a change. There’s strength in numbers! We all have to be on board"

Hill's demand comes on the heels of Oklahoma State star Chuba Hubbard threatening to boycott the school after coach Mike Gundy was spotted supporting pro-Trump media outlet, One America News.

Gundy later apologized and vowed to help change the culture at OSU.

Dolphins top draft pick Tua Tagovailoa is quickly learning the perks of being an NFL superstar -- 'cause the QB just got noticed by his celebrity crush, Shania Twain!!!

The rookie was doing a rapid-fire Q&A with the team when he was asked a bunch of questions ... and Tua made sure to mention he LOVES Shania's music, calling it his "guilty pleasure."

But, the 22-year-old's obsession goes far beyond Twain's hits -- he revealed the country singer is his celebrity crush ... and even asked for a personal shoutout.

"Shania, if you watch this ... from this moment on, please message me back!!" Tua said.

Thanks to the powers of social media, 54-year-old Twain caught wind of Tua's big crush ... and hit him back with a flirty tweet!!

"Guilty pleasure?! You should be proud of your good taste @Tua" ... while adding a kiss emoji.

A KISS EMOJI!!!

Tua -- who has proven what he can do under pressure -- hit Shania back with the perfect response by referencing one of her songs ... saying, "'You’re still the one' @ShaniaTwain."

Dallas Cowboys fans are going to LOVE this ...

Here's video of New York Jets star Jamal Adams openly admitting he wants to be sent off from NY to Dallas ... telling a fan on the street straight-up "I'm trying" to get traded to the Cowboys!

The clip is only a few seconds long ... but it's obviously an awful look for Jets fans and a great one for Jerry Jones' squad.

24-year-old Adams has been the Jets' best player for the last 2 seasons ... but a feud over a contract extension has led the ex-LSU safety to try and push for a trade elsewhere.

There are a handful of teams on Jamal's desired list ... but he appeared to make it clear over the weekend which squad was on top.

Adams -- rolling through a parking lot in a pricey Mercedes -- was asked by a fan, "You coming to Dallas?"

Adams' reply? "I'm trying, bro!"

Of course, the Cowboys tried to make a deal for the playmaker last season ... but the Jets reportedly wanted much more than the 1st round pick the Cowboys were said to have offered.

Seems likely NY will still want more in a return for Adams ... but even if the Cowboys were to up the price, Jamal's new contract might be too much for Dallas regardless.

Brett Favre says Colin Kaepernick's willingness to leave his NFL career to fight for social justice reminds him of Pat Tillman's ultimate sacrifice ... and now, he's telling TMZ Sports he thinks both will be remembered as heroes.

The Hall of Fame QB spoke with us about Colin this week ... and told us straight-up he believes Kaepernick will go down as a legend for what he's done to combat systemic racism.

"It's not easy for a guy his age -- black or white, Hispanic, whatever -- to stop something that you've always dreamed of doing, and put it on hold, maybe forever, for something that you believe in," Favre said.

Brett told us he believes it's all very similar to what Tillman did when he left the NFL to fight for his country in the Army in the aftermath of 9/11.

"I can only think of right off the top of my head, Pat Tillman is another guy that did something similar," Favre said. "And, we regard him as a hero. So, I'd assume that hero status will be stamped with Kaepernick as well."

It's lofty praise from the former Green Bay Packers superstar ... but Favre clearly believes Kaep gave up a legitimate NFL career to make his message heard.

Brett tells us even despite a 3-year-plus layoff, he thinks Colin can STILL be an effective QB in the NFL today.

"I thought he was a dynamic player when he was playing in his prime," Favre said. "He's still young and hasn't been hit in several years, so there's no reason to think that he's lost that much of a step."

For Colin's part, we're told he's training like a maniac to get back in the league ... and at least one team -- the L.A. Chargers -- has said it'll consider giving him a tryout this season.

Adrian Peterson tells TMZ Sports he applauds the decision to remove a monument dedicated to a racist ex-Washington Redskins owner ... saying, "It makes me feel good."

As we previously reported, the people who run RFK Stadium dug up and removed their George Preston Marshall statue on Friday -- citing his racist policies of not signing black players for decades.

Peterson, who's been with Washington since 2018, says it's about time.

"Obviously, in different states all over this country, you've got monuments, buildings and stuff and statues that are named after people that owned slaves, people that were racists."

AP believes the tributes were part of a bigger plan to "keep the minorities and the blacks, colored people down."

But, now that there's a movement to get rid of tributes to racists and other bad people, Peterson says "It just shows that God is watching over us to be able to get to a point now where they are removing some of those statuses and trying to pave a new way."

We also spoke with AP about the controversy over the Redskins name.

Peterson says he's constantly trying to educate himself on the issue -- but understands both sides of the argument.

There's more ... AP also talked about how A&A Peterson Family Foundation is helping out during the COVID-19 pandemic and what steps he's taking to protect himself.

Junior Galette is finally addressing a video that's haunted him for years -- footage showing the NFL star fighting on a beach in 2013 ... and Galette says it was all self-defense.

Remember, when the footage surfaced in 2015, Galette's attorney at the time suggested the man at the center of the action was NOT his client.

But, it was Galette ... and now he's talking about the incident with TMZ Sports.

"The league did its investigation on that. It's not my proudest moment as I was defending myself from being attacked by other people," Galette says.

The footage seems to back Galette's story ... to a point. You can see Galette was fighting off a group of men -- but in the craziness, Junior swung his belt at an unarmed woman who appeared to be trying to restore order.

Galette was released by the New Orleans Saints just a few months after the video surfaced ... but later resumed his career with the Washington Redskins.

During his time in Washington, Galette was involved in an incident where he was chased and tased by police following an alleged fight in Mississippi in April 2017.

In the footage, obtained by TMZ Sports ... Galette is struggling to catch his breath and at one point tells the officer, "I can't breathe."

Galette was initially booked for disorderly conduct and failure to comply -- but Junior says the charges were eventually dropped.

"That just goes to show you that I may be a professional athlete, but that doesn't exempt me from being a black man in America."

"I can remember that moment when that cop chased me and stood up over me and proceeded to tell me that 'I may be a big white guy' as he proceeded to mock me when I told him I can't breathe. The charges were dropped, I was exonerated and the same goes for any other case."

Now, 31-year-old Galette -- who racked up 34.5 sacks in his 6 year career -- is a free agent and trying to convince teams to give him another shot in the league.

"I'm in the best shape of my life. I've showcased that across my platform as I've always posted videos and kept the fan updated with me being in great shape."

Galette recently penned an open letter to Roger Goodell praising him for the steps the league is taking to address systemic racism -- but he believes he's being blackballed from the league partly because he suggested white players with similar skillsets were getting paid much more than black players.

"My teammate, who happens to be a white guy from Stanford, was offered 500% more guaranteed money than I did after he came off of a torn ACL and basically was suspended from PEDs. I spoke out about the paid inequality, the Redskins then withdrew my offer. I haven't played a down since then."

And, the Oscar for James Conner's biopic goes to ... The Rock?!?!

The Pittsburgh Steelers superstar tells TMZ Sports he's hopeful one day that'll be possible ... saying if his inspiring story ever hits the silver screen -- he wants Dwayne Johnson to play him!

"I need somebody to knock that role out of the park," Conner tells us.

James has put on some serious size this off-season (for real, check out his Instagram, dude is buff as hell) and he does have some tats ... so he says The Rock would be perfect for the role.

"I know he's getting up there, but ..." Conner says.

Of course, 25-year-old James definitely has the story worthy of a starring role from The Rock ... he famously kicked cancer's ass to become one the best running backs in the NFL.

For now, though, Conner's life is set for book form only ... the NFL star released his "Fear Is A Choice" memoir this week, and he says he hopes it'll help others overcome adversity.

"You have to kinda appreciate the dark days in order to move forward and have joy in the future," Conner says ... "I just want people to believe in themselves and realize how mentally strong that they are."

Donald Trump has drawn the battle lines ... if the NFL allows players to take a knee during the national anthem in 2020, POTUS says his days watching pro football are over!

President Trump made his threat during a Friday morning tweet that initially took aim at Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Remember, earlier this week Fauci warned America that a second wave of COVID-19 could impact pro sports -- and said straight-up, "Football may not happen this year."

"It would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall," Fauci told CNN. "If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year."

Enter Trump ... who went to bat for the NFL before issuing an ultimatum in the same breath.

"Tony Fauci has nothing to do with NFL Football," Trump said ... "They are planning a very safe and controlled opening."

Then the warning to the NFL -- "However, if they don’t stand for our National Anthem and our Great American Flag, I won’t be watching!!!"

Looks like Trump might have to bail -- because NFL Commish Roger Goodell put out a video earlier this month admitting the league bungled the way it handled NFL kneelers in the past and vowed to be more tolerant of nonviolent protesters in the future.

Ex-NFL star Ryan Clark just gave an extremely emotional speech about being a black father in America ... breaking down in tears discussing his son's recent experience with racism.

Clark's son, Jordan -- alongside 2 Arizona State football teammates -- claim they were called the n-word by a Whataburger customer this week ... and instead of de-escalating, the restaurant manager threatened to call the police on the players.

You can read Jordan's entire narrative on the incident below.

Clark spoke on the incident with ESPN's "Get Up" on Friday morning ... saying he's thankful his son is still alive.

"I'm playing out a scenario of if this woman would've had a weapon and she could easily say that these 3 young black men were threatening her ... I believe that if that woman pulls a gun on those young men and that woman pulls the trigger, I believe that she's never punished," Clark says.

"I believe that justice is never served. And, even if justice is served, it's not enough to bring my son back."

"This isn't just a fear for me every day, this has been a fear for black people forever."

"If something would have happened to him, it would have broke me," Clark says. "So for me, I have to do a better job of educating him, and I have to protect him."

"I know it's getting better, but it's not better yet, better for everybody."

Clark says he wishes he would have taught his son to never approach a white person's vehicle ... knowing what could happen if he runs into the wrong person.

The entire segment is powerful ... Clark sobs as he thinks about what could have happened, given today's climate.

As for Whataburger, the chain released a statement on the incident ... saying, "We do not tolerate racism and were horrified to hear how these customers were treated by another customer."

The Indianapolis Colts have a new staff position -- "Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion" -- and the team says its all part of an effort to "battle systemic racism."

The organization has announced a new plan "to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion are at the forefront of the team's business and community efforts."

There are 3 major points to the plan ...

1) Creating the Director of Diversity job. That person will "work across all Colts departments on social responsibility, hiring, supplier diversity, education and training and other internal efforts."

2) The team has created the Irsay Family Impact Scholarship -- which will "help talented minority students with a financial need to achieve their educational goals."

The scholarship will cover 8 years of education costs for the recipient -- starting with high school college prep programs and tutors followed by tuition costs at Indiana University.

3) The Colts will formally recognize and celebrate Juneteenth every June 19.

"The team has made Juneteenth a permanent company holiday."

Colts' owner, Jim Irsay, says the moves come after discussions with players and staff about the topics surrounding the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and others.

"I have heard stunning testimonials from our players and staff about their personal experiences with racism," Irsay said.

The people who operate RFK Stadium are finally removing a monument dedicated to a racist former owner of the Washington Redskins,

Events D.C., which runs the stadium where the Skins used to play, ordered the removal of the George Preston Marshall statue on Friday ... and if you know anything about the guy, it's easy to see why.

Marshall -- the Redskins' founding father and Pro Football Hall of Famer -- famously refused to sign black players for DECADES.

In fact, he was quoted as saying once, "We will sign black players when the Harlem Globetrotters start playing white players."

His anti-African-American stance lasted all the way until the early 1960s ... when government officials threatened to force him out of RFK Stadium if he didn't sign black players.

FYI, Marshall died in 1969. He was 72.

People have been calling for the 'Skins to remove the monument at the park for years ... and finally, in the wake of national protests, the people who operate the stadium relented this week.

It's just the latest statue to be scrapped as America tries to sever its ties with its racist past ... in Minnesota, the Twins announced they're removing a statue of former owner Calvin Griffith.

Similar to Marshall, Griffith had been openly racist against black people ... and in a statement Friday, the Twins said, "His disparaging words displayed a blatant intolerance and disregard for the Black community that are the antithesis of what the Minnesota Twins stand for and value."

Redskins' nickname, you're up next.

Wanna learn more about Juneteenth?

Leave it to former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis ... who wrote and stars in a play about the holiday!

Ellis -- who spent 11 seasons with the Cowboys -- is now fully immersed in the theater world ... where he writes, produces and acts.

In fact, he created "Juneteenth The Stage Play" back in 2018 ... and has an upcoming performance this weekend.

44-year-old Ellis told CBS 11 in Dallas the focus on the play is to inform the audience about the history of Juneteenth in an entertaining way.

"A lot of people don't know the history," Ellis said ... "and so through our production, our challenge is to make sure it's accurate, make sure people can be entertained -- laughing, crying, happy, upset and all those emotions getting touched upon for one common good and that common good is that you're going to retain the information that's inside the play."

Now, Ellis says he's pushing to turn Juneteenth into a national holiday -- he even started a petition.

"Juneteenth celebrates the anniversary of June 19, 1865, which marks the end of African-American slavery in the United States. It is our belief that Juneteenth needs to be a national holiday and making it one right now would be a huge step in the right direction to start the healing process."

The SEC wants Mississippi to change its state flag ASAP ... and if it refuses -- the conference's commish is threatening to pull all future titles games out of the state.

SEC honcho Greg Sankey made the announcement Thursday ... saying "it is past time" government officials pull the plug on a flag that features prominent ties to the Confederacy.

"Our students deserve an opportunity to learn and compete in environments that are inclusive and welcoming to all," Sankey said.

"In the event there is no change, there will be consideration of precluding Southeastern Conference championship events from being conducted in the State of Mississippi until the flag is changed."

Of course, Sankey's press on Mississippi lawmakers is just the latest in a long line of efforts from Americans to cut ties with its Confederacy past.

Cities all over the country have ripped down statues of Confederate leaders in the wake of George Floyd's death ... while NASCAR has permanently banned the Confederate flag from its race tracks.

For their part, SEC programs Mississippi State Univ. (NFL star Dak Prescott's alma mater) and Ole Miss are backing their conference's leader in the fight against the flag.

"Since 2015, our Student Association, Robert Holland Faculty Senate and university administration have been firmly on record in support of changing the state flag," Miss. St. President Mark E. Keenum said.

"I have reiterated that view to our state's leaders on multiple occasions, including during face-to-face discussions in recent days and hours."

Josh Gordon's lawyer says the NFL receiver's most recent drug relapse was sparked by his brother's tragic death ... but has gotten the help he needs and is back on the right path.

The troubled 29-year-old was indefinitely suspended from the NFL back in December 2019 after failing another drug test ... adding to the long list of drug penalties since 2013.

But, Gordon is ready to prove he's back to 100% ... reportedly filing for reinstatement on Thursday.

While details surrounding Gordon's suspension weren't made available at the time, his lawyer, Adam Kenner, has revealed the devastating event that triggered the slip-up.

"Josh had a lapse because of his brother's death," Kenner said via Tom Pelissero. "That set him back. But since that time, he has realized how important it is for him to take the right steps, do what's proper, and understand how to manage these issues."

"He's installed the right team around him to make sure he's on the right path. He understands he's been given every chance. He looks forward to making the most of this."

Details on Gordon's brother's death weren't made public ... but Josh addressed his passing in a since-deleted Instagram post shortly after his death in November, saying, "Can’t put it all into words just yet, but today was one of those harder days to face."

"I love you big bro. I’m gonna miss you. This win was for you, thank you for being the best older brother any kid could have."

Meanwhile, Josh had been training like a maniac recently and posting the photos to IG.

One thing's for sure ... he still looks like he's in stellar shape.

NFL QB Ryan Tannehill is joining the movement to take down a controversial statue honoring a former Texas A&M president on campus ... saying the school cannot overlook his history of slavery and racism.

A campaign is underway to remove the monument of Confederate general Lawrence Sullivan Ross -- AKA "Sully" -- from the heart of campus ... citing his history of mistreating black and indigenous people.

A&M star quarterback Kellen Mond released a statement on the matter ... saying Sully's positive impact on the school cannot outweigh his actions against minorities.

"The values of Texas A&M University do not align with RACISM, VIOLENCE, SLAVERY and SEGREGATION, but Jimbo Fisher’s most prominent saying will always stick with me: '"Your ACTIONS speak so loud I can’t hear what you’re saying."'

"The Lawrence Sullivan Ross Statue NEEDS to be removed. Texas A&M University, I NEED to see ACTION," Mond added.

Tannehill -- who starred at A&M from 2008-11 -- is backing his alma mater's QB ... saying, "I’m with @thekellenmond. We can’t continue to ignore the evil perpetrated by Sullivan Ross."

"#SullyGottaGo @TAMU @AggieFootball"

There's a petition to remove the Sully statue from campus ... and it already has nearly 25k signatures.

Other huge names have used their voices to bring change to college campuses -- including DeAndre Hopkins, who helped Clemson remove a slave owner's name from the Honors College.

The Univ. of Florida is pulling the plug on its famous "Gator Bait" chant ... with the school's president saying its racist ties make it no longer acceptable for UF to use.

In a statement released Thursday ... President Kent Fuchs axed the popular cheer -- which has been screamed by thousands of fans weekly during Gators college football games over the years.

"While I know of no evidence of racism associated with our 'Gator Bait' cheer at UF sporting events," Fuchs said, "there is horrific historic racist imagery associated with the phrase."

"Accordingly University Athletics and the Gator Band will discontinue the use of the cheer."

If you're unfamiliar ... America's past use of "gator bait" truly is disturbing -- reportedly, white men would use African-American babies to lure gators out of swamps so they could hunt them more easily for their skin.

At UF sporting events ... the band would play some tunes and pause so the entire crowd could chant in unison, "Gator Bait!"

Fuchs said in addition to stopping all that ... the school will take even more steps to ensure racial justice -- vowing to remove any UF-controlled "monuments or namings" that have ties to the Confederacy.

The school president also said the Univ. of Florida will no longer receive labor from inmates ... adding, "the symbolism of inmate labor is incompatible with our university."